2+ hour, 24+ min ago (412+ words) Machado Garry's victory over Belal Muhammad on Saturday might have earned him a shot at Makhachev Islam Makhachev has responded to Ian Machado Garry's impassioned callout after UFC Qatar, where the Irishman secured his biggest win yet. On Saturday, Machado Garry defeated former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad on points, potentially setting up a fight with current champion Makhachev. Although Machado Garry vowed to knock out Muhammad and failed to deliver on that promise, the 28-year-old put on a slick performance and used his time on the microphone to talk up a fight with Makhachev. Now the Russian has responded, telling media: "Yeah, that will be interesting. He's also a good fighter. "He's on a good winning streak and he's young. I think it'll be interesting. We'll see. "He didn't surprise me yesterday. If he surprised the UFC, then maybe he…...

15+ hour, 14+ min ago (325+ words) Ben Whittaker takes on Benjamin Gavazi, in the divisive Briton's first fight under the Matchroom banner Ben Whittaker's much-anticipated return to the ring takes place this weekend, as the divisive Briton boxes Benjamin Gavazi. The main-event showdown in Birmingham, Whittaker's hometown, sees the loquacious "Surgeon" put his unbeaten record on the line against a determined German opponent. Whittaker, 28, will enter the light-heavyweight bout with a 9-0-1 record (6 knockouts), while 30-year-old Gavazi is 19-1 (13 KOs). Whittaker also has pedigree as an Olympic silver medalist, but his professional career has stalled over the last year. Whittaker and opponent Liam Cameron tumbled over the ropes last October, and a resultant injury to Whittaker led their fight to be abandoned and declared a technical draw, in a major barrier to his momentum. And while he bounced back with a second-round stoppage of Cameron in April, his…...

15+ hour, 57+ min ago (381+ words) Between winning Olympic gold and debuting in MMA, the American had spells in WWE and with an NFL team Gable Steveson has been tipped to become a UFC champion "in 18 months, just two fights into his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Steveson made his name as an amateur wrestler, winning Olympic gold for Team USA at the 2021 Games in Tokyo, before signing a pro-wrestling contract with WWE. Despite his WWE deal, Steveson continued to compete in amateur wrestling and even signed with the NFL's Buffalo Bills last summer, before being released by the American football franchise after just three months. Steveson, 25, was also released by WWE this May, but he seems to have found a new calling. Steveson has fought twice in MMA since September, winning both his debut and last weekend's sophomore outing via first-round knockout. Between those…...

18+ hour, 36+ min ago (704+ words) Joshua, a former heavyweight champion, has been training with old rival Usyk ahead of his fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul Anthony Joshua is not expected to have Oleksandr Usyk in his corner for December's fight with Jake Paul, but the Ukrainian icon could be present for future bouts, according to one of his advisers. On 19 December, Joshua will fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in a professional contest in Miami. The heavyweight fight is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds in standard 10oz gloves, with knockouts allowed. Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, will be capped at 245lb the day before the fight, but there is no rehydration clause. While the matchmaking itself is some of the strangest in boxing history, fans were also surprised by "AJ's revelation that he has been training with Usyk's team in recent months. Joshua, 36, confirmed the news at a press…...

20+ hour, 22+ min ago (578+ words) Tsarukyan's win in Qatar solidified his status as No 1 contender at lightweight, where Topuria " also present in Doha " is reigning champion Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria's feud escalated at the weekend, as Tsarukyan solidified his status as No 1 contender before engaging in a war of words with the lightweight champion. On Saturday, Tsarukyan dominated Dan Hooker and submitted him in the second round of their main-event bout, with Topuria present in Doha's ABHA Arena. Topuria was there to help coach his brother Aleksandre, who recorded a bantamweight win over Bekzat Almakhan, and Tsarukyan used the opportunity to talk up a fight with "El Matador. Tsarukyan, 29, said at his post-fight press conference: "I didn't want to mention Ilia because I was focused on my fight, [but] after today, I'm going to try to again create some crazy videos that are going…...

21+ hour, 26+ min ago (121+ words) Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article Irish star claims he's a "faster version' of Conor McGregor as he calls for UFC title shot - Ian Machado Garry secured a unanimous decision victory over former champion Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar on Saturday. - This win, coupled with an earlier defeat of Carlos Prates, strengthens the number-six ranked Garry's claim for a welterweight title shot. - Garry has publicly challenged newly-crowned welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, who recently became a two-division champion. - He frames the potential bout as a continuation of the Ireland vs. Dagestan rivalry in MMA, positioning himself as Conor McGregor's protege against Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov's protege....

22+ hour, 32+ min ago (460+ words) Machado Garry has staked his claim to be next in line for the welterweight title Ian Machado Garry has made his latest pitch for a UFC welterweight title shot as he looks to build hype around a potential clash with Islam Makhachev. Machado Garry put on a clinic to ease past former champion Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar on Saturday, dominating the American-Palestinian to a unanimous decision victory. Having also beaten rising star Carlos Prates this year, number-six ranked Garry has a strong claim to be next in line for a shot at newly-crowned welterweight king Makhachev, who demolished Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 to become a two-division champion. Machado Garry, hailing from Portmarnock in Ireland, believes he and Makhachev can write the latest chapter of a rivalry that burns deep between Ireland and Dagestan in MMA, one that began…...

1+ day, 25+ min ago (281+ words) Frazer Clarke fights Jeamie TKV in Saturday's main event, as boxing returns to the BBC Professional boxing will return to the BBC in a primetime slot this weekend, with heavyweight action headlining the first event of a new era. Frazer Clarke will take on Jeamie TKV (real name Tshikeva) in the main event, in which the vacant British heavyweight title is on the line. This weekend's event, which was delayed from 25 October after an injury to TKV, marks the long-awaited return of boxing to free-to-air television in the UK. In 1938, the BBC in fact aired the country's first televised boxing match. The broadcaster has sporadically shown professional boxing in the decades since, but its new deal with Boxxer will mark its first consistent output of the sport in many years. Viewers will be accustomed to the BBC airing amateur boxing,…...

1+ day, 2+ hour ago (339+ words) Chimaev is one of MMA's most-frightening talents but has long struggled for activity Khamzat Chimaev has provided an update on his return to the UFC Octagon, with fans set to be disappointed. Chimaev is one of MMA's most-frightening talents but has long struggled for activity, and his new status as middleweight champion does not look likely to change that. The unbeaten Russian, 31, dominated Dricus Du Plessis to take the middleweight belt with a decision win in August, but he does not expect to compete again until next April at the earliest. "I have a small operation on my foot," Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev before UFC Qatar on Saturday. "I'll step away from training for a couple of weeks, heal my wound. "So, we'll prepare after Ramadan. Whoever they give me, I'll face." Ramadan is set to begin on 17 February in…...

1+ day, 21+ hour ago (461+ words) The Briton fell short in a brutal world light-heavyweight title loss, with the vicious Benavidez producing a statement and confirming himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport Anthony Yarde left the last of his boxing ambitions in the ring at 6am on Sunday in Riyadh. Yarde was rescued from his own bravery and the flying fists of David Benavidez in round seven of a one-way fight; Yarde was on his feet, bloodied and beaten in his third attempt to win a version of the world light-heavyweight title when it was mercifully stopped. It was a difficult watch in the end. Benavidez entered the ring " the fight started at 5.30am - unbeaten in 30 fights and as the WBC light-heavyweight champion, and he never for one moment looked like losing either of those things. Yarde never quite found his range, never…...