🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[TopTort777]

We have almost a month until next event. Plenty of time, so it could be no worth discussing next events, as all will be forgotten. Instead I can offer to share thoughts about year 2024 for UFC, name memorable fights, knockouts, submissions, disappointments. Maybe it is too early to do that, but Xmas is in one week, and time till New Year will pass quickly also. Some of you might not be as active on the forum as usually.

We can start with creating categories:

1) Fight of the year
2) KO of the year
3) Submission of the year
4) Fighter of the year (Bones? )
5) Fail of the year
...

Some extra info about UFC in 2024 can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_in_UFC

[pawel7777]

The decision to stop I think was a bad call after all because they just cheated Buckley for a legitimate KO finish against this pretentious division superstar.

If we are to believe the lady doctor, who stopped the fight, she said that Colby could lose his eyelid if he were to carry on. If that's true, that was a good stoppage.
Dana White didn't seem to agree with the decision, saying something along the lines that if it was in Vegas, the fight would continue.

How on earth are Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan the same height? To be honest, I thought that you were kidding but I really googled it and both of them are listed as 170 cm.

Same. I thought TopTort was just making things up, so I went to check and found out it was true lol

1) Fight of the year
2) KO of the year
3) Submission of the year
4) Fighter of the year (Bones? )
5) Fail of the year
...

I have a memory of a goldfish and can't remember much from the first half of the year, but the KO of the year has to be Holloway Vs Gaethje.
My nomination for the fail of the year is McGregor with his failed return and all the shit in his private life.

[TopTort777]

Here is a nice motivational Friday video for you guys: https://www.tiktok.com/@ufc/video/7429359862032715039?_t=8qoid86cysj&_r=1

This is how the start is born. This is what follow to your dream looks like. The guy flew to UFC, found Dana attention and asked for a contract. https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/174724-dorobshokh-nabotov This is this guys profile. There is a continuation of this story. Chan Sung Jung (Korean Zombie) is organizing contender series for UFC in Korea on YouTube. Dana made this Nabotov have a fight there, and if wins, he will get UFC contract. Hope that Nabotovs dream finally comes true.

Remember that story? It was on hype in social media for few days. To bad this guys dream did not come true. Fighter who begged Dana White for UFC contract loses and opponent is signed instead. We know that Dana not always should be trust, but if what he says is true, then he has avoided signing a problem fighter to UFC And this is a proof that 8-0 record in local promotion might be nothing in UFC

[Synchronice]

Guys, does anyone know how Khabib become an UFC fighter? He is from Dagestan, which is part of the Russia and the relationship between Russia and the USA was never good. He is from a poor family and it should have been very hard to almost impossible to travel in the USA, let alone the fact that they got the US visa. Khabib wasn't popular for a long time, he became popular slowly, so who was paying for his expanses? How did the US let him to stay in America? This topic is very interesting for me because in FIFA WC 2026 thread, many people talk about how hard it is to travel in the USA from non-US ally countries because of strict visa restrictions and today we see lots of Russian and foreign fighters living in the US.

Also, does anyone know a thing about Dvalishvili? As far as I know, he was an illegal migrant, how did he manage to live in the US? Did UFC let him fight despite the fact that he was illegally there?

[cabron]

The decision to stop I think was a bad call after all because they just cheated Buckley for a legitimate KO finish against this pretentious division superstar.

If we are to believe the lady doctor, who stopped the fight, she said that Colby could lose his eyelid if he were to carry on. If that's true, that was a good stoppage.
Dana White didn't seem to agree with the decision, saying something along the lines that if it was in Vegas, the fight would continue.

I have not heard anyone lose an eyelid but ye bloody fight has to stop. I was just saying that because the guy still manages to brag an excuse that he was warning up already like if it wasn't stopped he could win the fight. Dana not agreeing is just to show he has nothing to do with the stoppage.

Guys, does anyone know how Khabib become an UFC fighter? He is from Dagestan, which is part of the Russia and the relationship between Russia and the USA was never good. He is from a poor family and it should have been very hard to almost impossible to travel in the USA, let alone the fact that they got the US visa. Khabib wasn't popular for a long time, he became popular slowly, so who was paying for his expanses? How did the US let him to stay in America? This topic is very interesting for me because in FIFA WC 2026 thread, many people talk about how hard it is to travel in the USA from non-US ally countries because of strict visa restrictions and today we see lots of Russian and foreign fighters living in the US.

Also, does anyone know a thing about Dvalishvili? As far as I know, he was an illegal migrant, how did he manage to live in the US? Did UFC let him fight despite the fact that he was illegally there?

Where have you been all these years? It's over, Khabib is no longer fighting and he has been going back and forth to US since. UFC would do anything to make the sport exciting. If they have to import the whole Dagestani family, they will find a way.

[notblox1]

My nomination for the fail of the year is McGregor with his failed return and all the shit in his private life.

He was busy with other things in his private life, with lawsuit and he was talking about getting into politics.
I just heard the news he is coming back but first he is going to fight the money fight against Logan Paul.
He confirmed that rumors about fight against Topuria was false 
https://www.gosubetting.com/blog/betting-news/conor-mcgregor-announces-logan-paul-fight-before-ufc-return/

[pawel7777]

Guys, does anyone know how Khabib become an UFC fighter? He is from Dagestan, which is part of the Russia and the relationship between Russia and the USA was never good. He is from a poor family and it should have been very hard to almost impossible to travel in the USA, let alone the fact that they got the US visa. Khabib wasn't popular for a long time, he became popular slowly, so who was paying for his expanses? How did the US let him to stay in America? This topic is very interesting for me because in FIFA WC 2026 thread, many people talk about how hard it is to travel in the USA from non-US ally countries because of strict visa restrictions and today we see lots of Russian and foreign fighters living in the US.

As it usually happens, he did not pop up in the UFC out of nowhere. He has 29 official fights in his record, most of which (16) were fought in Russian organisations before ho got a contract from the UFC.
I don't think there were any special tensions between the US and Russia back when he signed his contract and I don't think obtaining a visa was that hard either, especially when the UFC most likely has a dedicated team to help the foreign fighters out in all the legal work. I believe there are special rules for visas for professional athletes but it's also possible that they got employer-sponsored visas or letters of invitation from the UFC. Anyhow, I don't think it was ever a real problem, I've heard about fighters struggling to get vias on time, when fighting on short notice, but not about obtaining them at all.

[TopTort777]

Guys, does anyone know how Khabib become an UFC fighter? He is from Dagestan, which is part of the Russia and the relationship between Russia and the USA was never good. He is from a poor family and it should have been very hard to almost impossible to travel in the USA, let alone the fact that they got the US visa. Khabib wasn't popular for a long time, he became popular slowly, so who was paying for his expanses? How did the US let him to stay in America? This topic is very interesting for me because in FIFA WC 2026 thread, many people talk about how hard it is to travel in the USA from non-US ally countries because of strict visa restrictions and today we see lots of Russian and foreign fighters living in the US.

Also, does anyone know a thing about Dvalishvili? As far as I know, he was an illegal migrant, how did he manage to live in the US? Did UFC let him fight despite the fact that he was illegally there?

First of all dont try to compare current US and Russia relationships and what they were 5-10 years ago. Also dont forget that UFC is a business, and they have proved that money is on a first place for them. They dont give a damn where fighter is from, who he is and so on. They are only interested if that fighter would bring them profit, and if athletic commission would allow him to fight. Visa problems is not such a big problem after all. UFC can sign a fighter, and he would be able to fight in Europe, UAE, Brazil. Being UFC fighter does not mean you must fight in US. If fighter brings money, UFC are very flexible. Recent news or rumours - Shara Bullet, red pirate, a guy with eye problem. He is undefeated so far in UFC, people are interested to see him fighting, but due to that eye problem, athletic commission might not allow him to fight on US territory. But he can easily fight in UAE, and he would even feel more comfortable to fight there.

[cabron]

Guys, does anyone know how Khabib become an UFC fighter? He is from Dagestan, which is part of the Russia and the relationship between Russia and the USA was never good. He is from a poor family and it should have been very hard to almost impossible to travel in the USA, let alone the fact that they got the US visa. Khabib wasn't popular for a long time, he became popular slowly, so who was paying for his expanses? How did the US let him to stay in America? This topic is very interesting for me because in FIFA WC 2026 thread, many people talk about how hard it is to travel in the USA from non-US ally countries because of strict visa restrictions and today we see lots of Russian and foreign fighters living in the US.

Also, does anyone know a thing about Dvalishvili? As far as I know, he was an illegal migrant, how did he manage to live in the US? Did UFC let him fight despite the fact that he was illegally there?

First of all dont try to compare current US and Russia relationships and what they were 5-10 years ago. Also dont forget that UFC is a business, and they have proved that money is on a first place for them. They dont give a damn where fighter is from, who he is and so on. They are only interested if that fighter would bring them profit, and if athletic commission would allow him to fight. Visa problems is not such a big problem after all. UFC can sign a fighter, and he would be able to fight in Europe, UAE, Brazil. Being UFC fighter does not mean you must fight in US. If fighter brings money, UFC are very flexible. Recent news or rumours - Shara Bullet, red pirate, a guy with eye problem. He is undefeated so far in UFC, people are interested to see him fighting, but due to that eye problem, athletic commission might not allow him to fight on US territory. But he can easily fight in UAE, and he would even feel more comfortable to fight there.

It's nonnegotiable for the Athletic Commission, Bisping tried to hide his eye defect when he was still active but if it were revealed he wouldn't be allowed to fight either. He was a superstar at that time though and I guess if Dana knew it, he would just ignore it and just pretend he knew nothing about it as long as Bisping can fill a crowd in the arena.

Bullet seems admired by the Arab country. But they probably have a waiver signed for this don't you think?

[pawel7777]

It's nonnegotiable for the Athletic Commission, Bisping tried to hide his eye defect when he was still active but if it were revealed he wouldn't be allowed to fight either. He was a superstar at that time though and I guess if Dana knew it, he would just ignore it and just pretend he knew nothing about it as long as Bisping can fill a crowd in the arena.

I believe each state has its own Athletic Commission, so rules can vary between states and some might have more relaxed rules, or allow some exemptions.
And don't quote me on that, but I vaguely recall hearing something about Shara being allowed to fight in the United States? But it could be just my memory playing tricks on me.
Frankly, with all the sympathy to his fighting style, I'm not sure if it's the best idea for him to keep fighting with only one eye. He's putting a lot at risk. He should focus on earning enough to be able to pay his bills for the rest of his life and just quit.

[TopTort777]

But he has two eyes, one of them just look different. His pupil lost colour and everything else is fine. That also his trick. Opponents come from right side thinking he sees them badly. I think doctors think that more damage to the head will worsen condition of his eyes, retina might get detached. It will be UFC duty to do surgery and recovery. If he was really like Bisping, with one artificial eye, then yeap, they would have released him.

[pawel7777]

But he has two eyes, one of them just look different. His pupil lost colour and everything else is fine. That also his trick. Opponents come from right side thinking he sees them badly. I think doctors think that more damage to the head will worsen condition of his eyes, retina might get detached. It will be UFC duty to do surgery and recovery. If he was really like Bisping, with one artificial eye, then yeap, they would have released him.

His Wikipedia page says he's blind on that eye:

Early in his career, Magomedov suffered a severe eye injury while training in Thailand. Despite multiple surgeries, the damage worsened over time, eventually leaving him blind in one eye. The Russian fighter has openly discussed the impact of this challenge and how Michael Bisping, who won a UFC title despite his own eye injury, became a pivotal source of motivation for him

I guess you could argue whether "blind" means his vision is severely impaired or whether he cannot see anything at all and it's beyond repair, meaning it wouldn't be much different from having an artificial eye.

And I think Bisping got his fake eye fitted after his retirement.

[tokeweed]

Guys, does anyone know how Khabib become an UFC fighter? He is from Dagestan, which is part of the Russia and the relationship between Russia and the USA was never good. He is from a poor family and it should have been very hard to almost impossible to travel in the USA, let alone the fact that they got the US visa. Khabib wasn't popular for a long time, he became popular slowly, so who was paying for his expanses? How did the US let him to stay in America? This topic is very interesting for me because in FIFA WC 2026 thread, many people talk about how hard it is to travel in the USA from non-US ally countries because of strict visa restrictions and today we see lots of Russian and foreign fighters living in the US.

Also, does anyone know a thing about Dvalishvili? As far as I know, he was an illegal migrant, how did he manage to live in the US? Did UFC let him fight despite the fact that he was illegally there?

They prolly scraped enough money doing measly jobs to support their MMA career just like many other fighters.  We know guys from Brazil like Oliveira, Pantoja and Fig did so how could it be any different for the other guys around the world?

As for visa issues, I think the UFC help them with that as it's a working visa.  But we still see some fighters get denied from entering the country.  So yeah...  Why you ask?

Edit:  Typos

[Hanadawa]

Guys, does anyone know how Khabib become an UFC fighter? He is from Dagestan, which is part of the Russia and the relationship between Russia and the USA was never good. He is from a poor family and it should have been very hard to almost impossible to travel in the USA, let alone the fact that they got the US visa. Khabib wasn't popular for a long time, he became popular slowly, so who was paying for his expanses? How did the US let him to stay in America?

I assume you know about UFC and Khabib. There is no way you are asking about Khabib and UFC because Khabib has retired from MMA so he is no longer tied to any fight contract from any promoter, as far as I know. I am trying to understand the point of your question. Maybe you are asking how Khabib can be a UFC fighter when he is Russian and we know the United States is very serious about visa issues. Maybe you should understand first that the feud between Russia and the US is in the field of ideology and military. I think sports is not an issue between the two countries. On the other hand Khabib is one of the best fighters in UFC. Of course this will be an advantage for Khabib because he has the same position as other public figures who are like getting "special access" because they are famous people.

[tokeweed]

^  He was just asking how the great fighters started their careers, tho yeah, the question seems loaded with a little bit of skepticism...  Which is alright, but he has to understand that in order to be a great fighter, sacrifice must be made and there should be some stroke of luck involved.

All in all, yeah some fighters got it easier than others but only because their talent and potential was already seen early in their careers. 

[cabron]

^  He was just asking how the great fighters started their careers, tho yeah, the question seems loaded with a little bit of skepticism...  Which is alright, but he has to understand that in order to be a great fighter, sacrifice must be made and there should be some stroke of luck involved.

All in all, yeah some fighters got it easier than others but only because their talent and potential was already seen early in their careers. 

Those types of questions came up during the start of Ukraine vs Russia was 2 years ago. This is one of the sports where Russians excel in US. Somebody will ask it's not surprising but 2 years later? mmm

Kai Asakura got into UFC easy.  Dana saw this kid's potential because he had been fighting in Rizin for a while. He got a title shot in his UFC debut, he wasn't successful however. Mike Venom Page took years before he got in UFC, he aged before he got in. If he was absorbed from Bellator while younger he would have dominated the WW.

[tokeweed]

^  Asakura was supposedly one of the most exciting fighters in Japan and the UFC's 125 weight class is having some kind of dry spell in talent.  So they really don't have any choice but to get outside talent in there.  But as it turned out, Pantoja was just a lot better in Asakura...  Maybe they should get Demetrious Johnson next for a one fight deal kind of thing like the one they gave GSP.

Anyway, how many weeks more til the next event?  Lol.

[TopTort777]

But he has two eyes, one of them just look different. His pupil lost colour and everything else is fine. That also his trick. Opponents come from right side thinking he sees them badly. I think doctors think that more damage to the head will worsen condition of his eyes, retina might get detached. It will be UFC duty to do surgery and recovery. If he was really like Bisping, with one artificial eye, then yeap, they would have released him.

His Wikipedia page says he's blind on that eye:

Early in his career, Magomedov suffered a severe eye injury while training in Thailand. Despite multiple surgeries, the damage worsened over time, eventually leaving him blind in one eye. The Russian fighter has openly discussed the impact of this challenge and how Michael Bisping, who won a UFC title despite his own eye injury, became a pivotal source of motivation for him

I guess you could argue whether "blind" means his vision is severely impaired or whether he cannot see anything at all and it's beyond repair, meaning it wouldn't be much different from having an artificial eye.

And I think Bisping got his fake eye fitted after his retirement.

In my post I only shared what Shara say in interview in Russian media. Both wiki and what he says isnt 100% accurate and true info. Only doctors know truth But I think if he was really blind on eye, that eyes would not have acted so much. His eyes shows reaction on light, he blinks, that eyes follows the direction other eyes is looking, and it does not look like it is just a muscle memory.

Anyway, how many weeks more til the next event?  Lol.

A lot But, it is just few days till Xmas. Damn, we had no snow at all this Xmas again… It rains and drizzle last days. So depressing. And no new events Even this nights Fury vs Usyk 2 sucked.

[cabron]

^  Asakura was supposedly one of the most exciting fighters in Japan and the UFC's 125 weight class is having some kind of dry spell in talent.  So they really don't have any choice but to get outside talent in there.  But as it turned out, Pantoja was just a lot better in Asakura...  Maybe they should get Demetrious Johnson next for a one fight deal kind of thing like the one they gave GSP.

Anyway, how many weeks more til the next event?  Lol.

That's exactly what Pantoja shouted in his octagon interview, he wants DJ to come back to UFC to prove he's the goat.
They'd probably have to import a lot more not just in the flyweight but all the rest since DJ already retired. He even replied no to Pantoja's challenge. This kind of problem will eventually happen as it has been in boxing. If they are not going to coordinate with other promotions they'd gonna have to pirate fighters from other promotions.

PFL and UFC I think could agree on terms instead of playing tug of war.

[TopTort777]

It is easier for Tom Cruise to make his mission impossible as possible than UFC to let their fighters fight in other promotion or against other promotion Specially PFL where Ngannou is, who is one of the guys who Dana hates. And numerous fighter signs proved that guys from other promotion are different (lower) level than UFC guys. Imho Dana would not risk health or his guys in exchange for a fight with other promotion stars.