🥊 The UFC Info and Prediction Thread

[Pumared]

It’s an ingrown hair on my neck and brisket hanging out of my mouth Nostradamus.

https://x.com/Justin_Gaethje/status/2008399323307151538

Gaethje said the rumors were unfounded and that the object in the photo was a ingrown hair. I always value statements. Gaethje's statement put an end to the rumors for me...

Paddy is my favorite in this match. Justin Gaethje is a fighter who deserves respect, but Paddy will be my favorite due to his skills in ground games and the dynamism that comes with his age. I think he will win the match if he manages to block Gaethje's leg kicks.

It will be an interesting match. We will find out Ilia's next victim with the outcome of this fight...

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

[trendcoin]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

Ilia recovers quickly when he sees Paddy or Justin in front of him... :)

If I were in Arman's place, I would have overreacted to this situation. I wouldn't have been able to control my emotions, and as a natural consequence, I wouldn't have been able to act rationally. Arman is waiting very calmly and hardly making any comments about the matter. I don't understand this situation at all...

I mean, I don't expect him to do anything to the bald guy, but he could have at least picked up a rock and thrown it at the UFC office windows... :)

[pawel7777]

The extensive break in the UFC really made mma media thirsty for anything to write about and for clicks.
I've seen multiple mentions of Cormier Vs Jones 3 in my news feed today, just to learn the two will indeed compete against eachother, but as coaches on ALF Reality (a Russian equivalent of the Ultimate Fighter).
More on the story:
https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/01/05/jon-jones-vs-daniel-cormier-3-confirmed-as-duo-reignite-decade-old-rivalry-for-new-promotion/

[Hanadawa]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

This fight is truly exciting to watch. I also favor Paddy to win. He's much younger and has a solid MMA skillset. If it comes down to striking, it'll be unpredictable, but if he can get Gaetjhe to the canvas, Paddy could attempt a submission. Gaetjhe has excellent takedown defense and is also an NCAA wrestler, which shows that Justin has high-level wrestling. Paddy will be a slight favorite with his stamina and skillset. Whoever wins this fight should be Topuria's next challenger. And honestly, I'd love to see Topuria vs. Paddy, as they're from the same era.

[TopTort777]

The extensive break in the UFC really made mma media thirsty for anything to write about and for clicks.
I've seen multiple mentions of Cormier Vs Jones 3 in my news feed today, just to learn the two will indeed compete against eachother, but as coaches on ALF Reality (a Russian equivalent of the Ultimate Fighter).
More on the story:
https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/01/05/jon-jones-vs-daniel-cormier-3-confirmed-as-duo-reignite-decade-old-rivalry-for-new-promotion/

Those two are only going to be coaches (in reality, they will only pick fighters to their team, show as if they train them, and say few lines during pre and post fight conference). It is not same as the Ultimate Fighter show, where in the end coaches often have a fight.

Besides, among Russian community, that ALF Reality isnt welcomed. Because fighters are guys who have spend only some time training, consider themselves to be greatest, but all they can do is to curse and sucker punch opponents or random fighters from any team. Example: in previous show, one guy wanted to call other guy for a fight (and sucker punch him before that), because he thought that that dude did not give him enough respect during hand shake. Two guys wanted to beat other dude (2 vs 1), because he told that "he is old enough to be your father" he wanted to say that they are too young to argue with him). You know how they explained why they attacked him from the back? Guy has heard word father, thought that he was talking about his father who has recently passed away. His friend joined to beating, because he has thought his friend is losing

[Pumared]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

Ilia recovers quickly when he sees Paddy or Justin in front of him...

If I were in Arman's place, I would have overreacted to this situation. I wouldn't have been able to control my emotions, and as a natural consequence, I wouldn't have been able to act rationally. Arman is waiting very calmly and hardly making any comments about the matter. I don't understand this situation at all...

I mean, I don't expect him to do anything to the bald guy, but he could have at least picked up a rock and thrown it at the UFC office windows...

He doesn't do anything because he already has enough money and doesn't need to worry about it; he's in the UFC for fame or something else, but not money. And it's not out of calm that he doesn't talk to or fight with White about it; he just doesn't need the UFC. And the UFC doesn't need him, so that's how their relationship remains.

[TopTort777]

Paddy, like Arman Tsarukyan, also recently had a grappling match (dunno why there is so much hype about it, looks like a sparring that someone filmed) and... He lost it. It was a his local gym tournament and he was forced to tap However, some hype is starting to grow, that a no-name has submitted potential UFC lightweight champion Imho it is better to lose in the gym while training, then in the octagon

[Balmain]

Paddy, like Arman Tsarukyan, also recently had a grappling match (dunno why there is so much hype about it, looks like a sparring that someone filmed) and... He lost it. It was a his local gym tournament and he was forced to tap However, some hype is starting to grow, that a no-name has submitted potential UFC lightweight champion Imho it is better to lose in the gym while training, then in the octagon

I was aware of Arman Tsarukyan's wrestling match and had seen a few clips. If I were Arman Tsarukyan, I would have spoken like that too, at least to make Paddy feel bad psychologically. While it might be partly true, Paddy would have won if they had done that a few times in that match, it's more likely to happen that way. Because anything can happen with a moment of carelessness. After all, his opponent is a black belt, his technical level is top-notch.

[TopTort777]

It looks like those grappling event with UFC fighters became more and more demanded. Found some wild news. Dustin Poirier in talks to end his retirement for Arman Tsarukyan match. Even though there are only talks, and they planning only a grappling match, we know how money make people change their minds. It looks like using UFC stars to hype is a new trend (and easy money for UFC stars). Imho it will last until Dana smells money and decides to take a piece of that pie

[Synchronice]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

Ilia recovers quickly when he sees Paddy or Justin in front of him...

If I were in Arman's place, I would have overreacted to this situation. I wouldn't have been able to control my emotions, and as a natural consequence, I wouldn't have been able to act rationally. Arman is waiting very calmly and hardly making any comments about the matter. I don't understand this situation at all...

I mean, I don't expect him to do anything to the bald guy, but he could have at least picked up a rock and thrown it at the UFC office windows...

He wants to become an UFC champion. He will gain nothing if he stands in front of UFC office and throws rocks at the window. Dana White treats him very badly just because of that one failure. It will be very hard for him to take him place but I'm sure that he is very close, he needs to tolerate this attitude for a little time and then everything will be fine.

The extensive break in the UFC really made mma media thirsty for anything to write about and for clicks.
I've seen multiple mentions of Cormier Vs Jones 3 in my news feed today, just to learn the two will indeed compete against eachother, but as coaches on ALF Reality (a Russian equivalent of the Ultimate Fighter).
More on the story:
https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/01/05/jon-jones-vs-daniel-cormier-3-confirmed-as-duo-reignite-decade-old-rivalry-for-new-promotion/

I opened the article, scrolled down and the first thing I read was that Russian social media personality Alfredo Auditore announced that. Do you know what came immediately to my mind? Legendary Ezio Auditore
By the way, why does Daniel Cormier want to get beaten for the 3rd time? That will be a huge humiliation for him. He can't beat Jon Jones, especially at his age and he has to agree with that fact. I don't think that he has been secretly training extremely hard for all this time

[rdbase]

The extensive break in the UFC really made mma media thirsty for anything to write about and for clicks.
I've seen multiple mentions of Cormier Vs Jones 3 in my news feed today, just to learn the two will indeed compete against eachother, but as coaches on ALF Reality (a Russian equivalent of the Ultimate Fighter).
More on the story:
https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/01/05/jon-jones-vs-daniel-cormier-3-confirmed-as-duo-reignite-decade-old-rivalry-for-new-promotion/

Seen this earlier and thought the exact same thing!
UFC are thirsty and trying to build up the hype for their brand so Paramount+ is satisfied they made the right choice in paying them all that cash so to stream their events.
But I would have to think Dana White is definitely set for life not needing to collect door-to-door anymore for pay-per-view earnings from each numbered main event he broadcasts now.

This weekend is the return of them under the Paramount banner right? But it is another fight night in Vegas.

[tokeweed]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

Ilia recovers quickly when he sees Paddy or Justin in front of him...

If I were in Arman's place, I would have overreacted to this situation. I wouldn't have been able to control my emotions, and as a natural consequence, I wouldn't have been able to act rationally. Arman is waiting very calmly and hardly making any comments about the matter. I don't understand this situation at all...

I mean, I don't expect him to do anything to the bald guy, but he could have at least picked up a rock and thrown it at the UFC office windows...

I think there's something going on behind the scenes that we don't exactly know what...  Everytime Dana White is asked about why Tsarukyan isn't given his shot for the title, the answer is always the same...  'You know what happened last time?' is always Dana's reply.

There were memes that Tsarukyan had sex with this MMA journo girl called Nina which caused his back injury...   But we don't really know what the truth is.  All we know is Tsarukyan cancelled hours before the main event started.

[Pumared]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

Ilia recovers quickly when he sees Paddy or Justin in front of him...

If I were in Arman's place, I would have overreacted to this situation. I wouldn't have been able to control my emotions, and as a natural consequence, I wouldn't have been able to act rationally. Arman is waiting very calmly and hardly making any comments about the matter. I don't understand this situation at all...

I mean, I don't expect him to do anything to the bald guy, but he could have at least picked up a rock and thrown it at the UFC office windows...

I think there's something going on behind the scenes that we don't exactly know what...  Everytime Dana White is asked about why Tsarukyan isn't given his shot for the title, the answer is always the same...  'You know what happened last time?' is always Dana's reply.

There were memes that Tsarukyan had sex with this MMA journo girl called Nina which caused his back injury...   But we don't really know what the truth is.  All we know is Tsarukyan cancelled hours before the main event started.

Exactly, and since then he can't even ask the UFC for water. That's why he's been so distant, and maybe that's why he was fighting in another championship with Shara. Is it likely that his contract will be terminated? I don't see a large fan base for Tsarukyan.

[pawel7777]

https://x.com/Home_of_Fight/status/2009665229907509622

Some update on Topuria's case. One of the comments says it's another 1st round victory for him, but it's going to take more time.
I didn't realise he was separated from his child for 4 months. This is really messed up.
If the quoted post is true, his ex is quite a piece of work. She lied about online harassment being the reason she wanted to move her daughter abroad, but she bought the tickets 12 days before Ilia made his announcement.
I hope this will end up with a fairly quick and fair resolution.

[trendcoin]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

Ilia recovers quickly when he sees Paddy or Justin in front of him... :)

If I were in Arman's place, I would have overreacted to this situation. I wouldn't have been able to control my emotions, and as a natural consequence, I wouldn't have been able to act rationally. Arman is waiting very calmly and hardly making any comments about the matter. I don't understand this situation at all...

I mean, I don't expect him to do anything to the bald guy, but he could have at least picked up a rock and thrown it at the UFC office windows... :)

I think there's something going on behind the scenes that we don't exactly know what...  Everytime Dana White is asked about why Tsarukyan isn't given his shot for the title, the answer is always the same...  'You know what happened last time?' is always Dana's reply.

There were memes that Tsarukyan had sex with this MMA journo girl called Nina which caused his back injury...   But we don't really know what the truth is.  All we know is Tsarukyan cancelled hours before the main event started.

Nina is a witch... :) She took the belts off many champions. Alex filmed a lot of content with Nina in the first match he lost to Ankalaev. Merab went through the same thing. Arman went through the same thing. I'm sure she wanted to do the same to Islam, but Islam told her “Wow, it is haram mubarek!” :)

Of course, these are just jokes, but Nina may have wasted the fighters' time with silly content instead of letting them train in the gym, or she may have disrupted their concentration this way.


By the way, Arman actually clarified this issue before his fight with Hooker.

https://x.com/RedCorner_MMA/status/1999307573015773521

Of course, what you say could also be true; we can't know for sure, but I see trusting the statements of the people at the center of the claims as a principle in my life...

https://x.com/Home_of_Fight/status/2009665229907509622

Some update on Topuria's case. One of the comments says it's another 1st round victory for him, but it's going to take more time.
I didn't realise he was separated from his child for 4 months. This is really messed up.
If the quoted post is true, his ex is quite a piece of work. She lied about online harassment being the reason she wanted to move her daughter abroad, but she bought the tickets 12 days before Ilia made his announcement.
I hope this will end up with a fairly quick and fair resolution.

Women can turn a lion into a cat. They really might be the most dangerous creatures in this world. It's not hard to understand why they are portrayed as evil in mythology... :)

[tokeweed]

I think this fight could determine the interim champion, who will only face Topuria at the end of the year or perhaps in the middle of the year. But it's certain that this fight will take a long time, because Topuria will probably need time to recover and mentally prepare for a new fight.

Ilia recovers quickly when he sees Paddy or Justin in front of him...

If I were in Arman's place, I would have overreacted to this situation. I wouldn't have been able to control my emotions, and as a natural consequence, I wouldn't have been able to act rationally. Arman is waiting very calmly and hardly making any comments about the matter. I don't understand this situation at all...

I mean, I don't expect him to do anything to the bald guy, but he could have at least picked up a rock and thrown it at the UFC office windows...

I think there's something going on behind the scenes that we don't exactly know what...  Everytime Dana White is asked about why Tsarukyan isn't given his shot for the title, the answer is always the same...  'You know what happened last time?' is always Dana's reply.

There were memes that Tsarukyan had sex with this MMA journo girl called Nina which caused his back injury...   But we don't really know what the truth is.  All we know is Tsarukyan cancelled hours before the main event started.

Exactly, and since then he can't even ask the UFC for water. That's why he's been so distant, and maybe that's why he was fighting in another championship with Shara. Is it likely that his contract will be terminated? I don't see a large fan base for Tsarukyan.

Wtf...  Contract terminated?  How'd you figure that?    It's common for some UFC fighters to participate in BJJ tourneys because it improves that part of their game.  And afaik, fighters need permission and it's usually a case by case kind of thing.

And it's funny you guys make dumb shit up and seeing it as something bad.  I on the other hand am excited to see Shara Magomedov's next match in the UFC.  We prolly could see something new from him and actually grapples.  

So enough with the dumb shit just to get your sig campaign posts up.

[TopTort777]

Tsarukyan isnt getting a title fight not because he is participating in non MMA events, or taking some serious challenges. There must be other reason. What about Paddy then? He shows his grappling skills all the time besides gym. His grappling challenge against marines for example. It wasnt just a master class. In any such competition, master class, fun match, there is chance of getting an injury. Because opponents are often show more and put strenght than needed. Because they want to prove that they are not worse than ufc guy.

I can suppose that reason might be unpredicted aggression. Even though Dana loves that, but he loves it to be controlled by him. Arman vs fan. Arman vs Bobby green. Arman headbuted Hooker. With explosive character Arman has, with power and money he has, who knows whi Arman will turn into when he gets champions belt.

[Synchronice]

The extensive break in the UFC really made mma media thirsty for anything to write about and for clicks.
I've seen multiple mentions of Cormier Vs Jones 3 in my news feed today, just to learn the two will indeed compete against eachother, but as coaches on ALF Reality (a Russian equivalent of the Ultimate Fighter).
More on the story:
https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/01/05/jon-jones-vs-daniel-cormier-3-confirmed-as-duo-reignite-decade-old-rivalry-for-new-promotion/

Seen this earlier and thought the exact same thing!
UFC are thirsty and trying to build up the hype for their brand so Paramount+ is satisfied they made the right choice in paying them all that cash so to stream their events.
But I would have to think Dana White is definitely set for life not needing to collect door-to-door anymore for pay-per-view earnings from each numbered main event he broadcasts now.

This weekend is the return of them under the Paramount banner right? But it is another fight night in Vegas.

Dana White received a guaranteed paycheck from Paramount+ because it was a huge headache for him to work on good PPV. He lost Conor McGregor and wrestlers are becoming very dominant in UFC, bringing no interesting fight, so Paramount's deal was the best deal from the current situation. What I want to say is that fight's popularity is no longer Dana White's headache and I don't think that he is trying to build up the hype to make Paramount+ satisfied. He continues his business as usual with less activity and headache.
Dana White has been set for life for a very long time. Just Conor VS Mayweather was enough for Dana White to retire himself and his next generation.

[TopTort777]

There is such a theory why Arman is not getting title shot.

In Russian MMA community, it is greatly discussed that Dagestani fighters or fighters from mountain region fight only opponents who they are sure to beat. They so dont like losing their 0 in record or losing, that they better not fight. There is a joke that Nurmagomedov clan only fight in UAE, because Sheiks help them to hide medicine boosts before the fight. Islam or Khabib love to say that nobody wants to fight them, but it might be that they always choose guys much weaker, and wait for a better opponent to be given by UFC. Islams last two opponents were not very top. Khabib when took belt fought nearly once a year only.

The next is Chimaev. Rarely fights. Took the belt. Is injured now. Is off till Ramadan (that is March 2026) as minimum.

The idea is once they took the belt, they fight once or twice (with a huge pause between) per year only. The idea is that if Arman takes the belt, he will fight one or times per year. Lightweight division has lost its popularity partly, and if the belt takes the guy who will start pausing things, it won be good for business.

Unpopular theory - nobody wants to see another low level trashtalk-blanket in the octagon (sorry, I meant control 5min*5rounds ).

[tokeweed]

^  If that theory is right then there's a stronger case for Tsarukyan not to fight after getting the belt as he doesn't need the money.  Lol...

But then again since Tsarukyan comes a family of means, his main motivation in fighting is to get the glory which could also mean he'll fight all comers no matter what. 

Aaanyway, just a couple more weeks guys.

Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LSLy-Pkh7Y