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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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  3.  <title>MMA Fighting -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle></subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52789/mma_minimal_navy..jpg</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-04-30T13:00:00-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.mmafighting.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-04-30T13:00:00-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-04-30T13:00:00-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Reinier de Ridder explains why he favors Dricus du Plessis over Khamzat Chimaev after training with both</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xqsbv3xD6o_pw06ZY98PLiU67tQ=/0x0:3965x2643/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057822/2194638889.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Harry How/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p id="TeDN2Q"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5633/reinier-de-ridder"&gt;Reinier de Ridder&lt;/a&gt; promised he wasn’t wasting any time after signing with the UFC and his co-main event against &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5988/bo-nickal"&gt;Bo Nickal&lt;/a&gt; on Saturday at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1516/ufc-des-moines-sandhagen-vs-figueiredo"&gt;UFC Des Moines&lt;/a&gt; could put him on the cusp of title contention with a win.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="wVJzB5"&gt;Already 2-0 in the organization, the former two-division ONE champion has a chance to knock off one of the brightest prospects in the sport, which could arguably do more for him than taking out a higher ranked opponent. While de Ridder knows he’s almost certainly not going to get a title shot with just one more win, he expects beating Nickal to put him on the short list of potential contenders who will eventually battle for the chance to face the winner of the upcoming fight between middleweight champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5478/dricus-du-plessis"&gt;Dricus du Plessis&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5368/khamzat-chimaev"&gt;Khamzat Chimaev&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="scsmKf"&gt;“That’s what I’m thinking,” de Ridder told MMA Fighting about his title fight hopes. “Because a lot of guys at the top have already fought each other so yeah, who knows. If I can do this the right way, choke him out early, I think I have something to say at least.”&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="FJAlzJ"&gt;As a middleweight working his way up the rankings, de Ridder always had a vested interest in the title fight between du Plessis and Chimaev, which is still awaiting an actual date in 2025.&lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="KE2IdZ"&gt;But more than just watching as a possible opponent for the winner down the road, de Ridder also spent time working with both du Plessis and Chimaev in the past so he’s got a little more knowledge on how this matchup might actually play out.&lt;/p&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="QKAEMH"&gt;“I’ve had some experience with both of the guys. I’ve trained with both of them,” de Ridder said. “I’d say especially in a five round fight, Khamzat is most likely going to come out guns blazing again, shoot right away but Dricus is not that easy to take down. He moves very well, although it looks a bit funny at times. His footwork is not that bad. He gets out. He circles pretty well.&lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="T8kj5u"&gt;“I don’t see Khamzat taking him down right away and to be honest, I don’t see Khamzat choking him out in the first round.”&lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="PpeuhW"&gt;If Chimaev can’t get the early finish, de Ridder expects du Plessis to really take over with each passing minute in the fight.&lt;/p&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="pFvkJz"&gt;“Every round he doesn’t choke him out is going to get worse for him,” de Ridder said about Chimaev. “Because with that unorthodox style of Dricus and those heavy hands, I think it might be a long night for Khamzat.”&lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;p id="L8Nrh2"&gt;Since first arriving in the UFC, du Plessis has continuously found ways to surprise his opponents despite not always employing the most traditional techniques.&lt;/p&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="6f2yO2"&gt;As awkward as it looks at times, de Ridder believes that’s what makes du Plessis such a difficult matchup because it’s nearly impossible to predict what he’ll do next.&lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;p id="WAom04"&gt;“He keeps going,” de Ridder said. “That’s the crazy thing. He looks dead tired, the technique [just goes out the door] but somehow he stays strong, stays very explosive. I’m going with Dricus but Khamzat would be cool, too, if it gets it. But I think Dricus has a good chance.”&lt;/p&gt;
  32. &lt;p id="gIKglk"&gt;Years before both of them were in the UFC, de Ridder actually spent time in the same regional organization as du Plessis but they never crossed paths. They eventually trained together and de Ridder has nothing but praise for the time he spent working with du Plessis but that won’t stop him from going after his UFC title.&lt;/p&gt;
  33. &lt;p id="VWLlHp"&gt;“Dricus is a good dude, too, by the way,” de Ridder said. “Because of the language, I can understand what he says in Afrikaans. He’s pretty similar to his fighting style — all over the place, ADHD — but very nice, very friendly guy. I think that would be a very cool fight to get down the line.”&lt;/p&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="OUF70f"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
  35.  
  36. </content>
  37.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420351/reinier-de-ridder-explains-why-he-favors-dricus-du-plessis-over-khamzat-chimaev-after-training-both"/>
  38.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420351/reinier-de-ridder-explains-why-he-favors-dricus-du-plessis-over-khamzat-chimaev-after-training-both</id>
  39.    <author>
  40.      <name>Damon Martin</name>
  41.    </author>
  42.  </entry>
  43.  <entry>
  44.    <published>2025-04-30T12:00:00-04:00</published>
  45.    <updated>2025-04-30T12:00:00-04:00</updated>
  46.    <title>Din Thomas makes Tom Aspinall prediction for UFC 317 main event, questions Jon Jones reign</title>
  47.    <content type="html">  
  48.  
  49.    &lt;figure&gt;
  50.      &lt;img alt="UFC 309: Jones v Miocic" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YQTmirQmMzKUpRfxIakh1VYG33U=/0x0:7556x5037/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057705/2185190026.0.jpg" /&gt;
  51.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jon Jones | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  52.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  53.  
  54.  &lt;p id="10Wioc"&gt;UFC 317 is just around the corner with no main event in sight, and &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2318/din-thomas"&gt;Din Thomas&lt;/a&gt; hopes the the organization has a plan.&lt;/p&gt;
  55. &lt;p id="c9hGno"&gt;The UFC analyst recently spoke to &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9SKgtvXn3o"&gt;MMA Junkie&lt;/a&gt; and shared his thoughts on how the June 28 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas - which headlines UFC’s annual International Fight Week - can be set if the matchmakers can line up interim heavyweight champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5355/tom-aspinall"&gt;Tom Aspinall&lt;/a&gt; for the card.&lt;/p&gt;
  56. &lt;p id="Ss5JI9"&gt;Aspinall - the No. 1 heavyweight in the &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/3/13/24384030/mma-divisional-rankings-magomed-ankalaev-title-charge-leads-slow-start-to-2025"&gt;MMA Fighting Global Rankings&lt;/a&gt; - currently awaits his next assignment after successfully defending his interim title against &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3622/curtis-blaydes"&gt;Curtis Blaydes&lt;/a&gt; in July 2024. Since winning that belt at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1406/ufc-295"&gt;UFC 295&lt;/a&gt;, he has set his sights on undisputed champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/47/jon-jones"&gt;Jon Jones&lt;/a&gt;, who has frequently stated he is not interested in fighting the British star.&lt;/p&gt;
  57. &lt;p id="kdioxR"&gt;Jones or not, Thomas believes UFC 317 should be built around Aspinall.&lt;/p&gt;
  58. &lt;p id="kgZqs6"&gt;“I’m thinking you have to go Tom Aspinall somewhere in this,” Thomas said. “You have to. How do you not go with the heavyweight champion of the world? He wants to fight in the summer. I’m thinking you have to go Tom Aspinall somewhere. Now whether that’s Jon Jones, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5037/ciryl-gane"&gt;Ciryl Gane&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/939/derrick-lewis"&gt;Derrick Lewis&lt;/a&gt;, I don’t know which one, but it’s got to be Tom Aspinall vs. somebody for International Fight Week to kick things off.”&lt;/p&gt;
  59. &lt;p id="f07t1c"&gt;“I think they convince Tom Aspinall to fight Ciryl Gane,” Thomas later added. “I think if I had to put my money on it, I think that’s the one... we’re two months out and I think they’ll throw a number at Ciryl Gane. It won’t be ideal for him, but they’ll throw a number that he can’t refuse and he’ll have to take it and I think it makes more sense that way.”&lt;/p&gt;
  60. &lt;aside id="PuZTU0"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Georges St-Pierre gives advice to Tom Aspinall over Jon Jones situation","url":"https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24419842/morning-report-georges-st-pierre-gives-advice-to-tom-aspinall-over-jon-jones-situation"},{"title":"Tom Aspinall’s father frustrated over waiting for Jon Jones fight: ‘It’s just a massive pain in the ass’","url":"https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/28/24419345/tom-aspinalls-father-frustrated-over-waiting-for-jon-jones-fight-its-just-a-massive-pain-in-the-ass"}]}'&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;p id="JetVTO"&gt;Aspinall and Gane have also gone back-and-forth publicly about a potential matchup, though nothing has materialized on that front either. Gane is currently on a two-fight win streak, with his most recent outing this past December seeing him eke out a controversial split decision over &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/850/alexander-volkov"&gt;Alexander Volkov&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  61. &lt;p id="JeiQIV"&gt;The last time fans saw Jones, he was making light work of all-time heavyweight great &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/775/stipe-miocic"&gt;Stipe Miocic&lt;/a&gt; at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1485/ufc-309"&gt;UFC 309&lt;/a&gt; this past November. Jones and Miocic were supposed to fight in November 2024, but a pectoral injury put Jones on the shelf. The UFC kept the matchup locked in, leaving Aspinall and the rest of the heavyweight division to wait for Jones’ return for their shot at the undisputed title.&lt;/p&gt;
  62. &lt;p id="mmcH53"&gt;Currently, it’s unclear whether a Jones vs. Aspinall matchup is being held up by Jones’ demands for more money and preparation time, the UFC simply not booking the fight, or an issue on Aspinall’s side. Jones needing more time to get ready for Aspinall is one excuse Thomas is not buying.&lt;/p&gt;
  63. &lt;p id="fKuoKi"&gt;“There’s no way Jon Jones accepts that fight,” Thomas said. “But here’s the thing, he says he needs more time to prepare. It’s not like he didn’t know about this for the last two years. We knew about this before the Stipe fight that he’d eventually have to fight Tom Aspinall. How has he not been preparing for this if he had any idea in his head that he was going to have this fight? He has to be ready in his head that this was going to happen.&lt;/p&gt;
  64. &lt;p id="7Wpd8R"&gt;“So the more and more time that passes, the more and more I think that Jon is just pulling us along and may not ever take this fight.”&lt;/p&gt;
  65. &lt;p id="H73jSZ"&gt;Jones has previously stated &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2024/11/17/24298622/jon-jones-wants-f-ck-you-money-to-face-tom-aspinall-he-needs-me"&gt;he would like “f*ck you” money&lt;/a&gt; to accept a fight with Aspinall, which complicates any potential negotiations. Thomas, a veteran of 36 pro bouts, doesn’t blame Jones for knowing his worth.&lt;/p&gt;
  66. &lt;p id="A9CXno"&gt;“That’s the problem with fighter leverage,” Thomas said. “As a fighter, you go through so much to get to where you are, wherever that is, and when you can really start to call your own shots, think about all the guys who’ve had the leverage and it’s only a few of them. &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1859/conor-mcgregor"&gt;Conor McGregor&lt;/a&gt; being one, Jon Jones being the other, and once they’re in a position to where they can string you along, they’re going to do it. They’re going to go, ‘You know what? After all you guys put me through, y’all going to feel this one.’&lt;/p&gt;
  67. &lt;p id="nBBxJq"&gt;“And they’ve put us through it. Jon has strung us along, Conor has strung us along, and now we’ve got to sit and eat it because we done gave these guys all the leverage. They done got all the cards in their hands.”&lt;/p&gt;
  68. &lt;p id="o2IWsT"&gt;Thomas was also asked about a recent &lt;a href="https://x.com/espnmma/status/1916502596136677733"&gt;ESPN MMA&lt;/a&gt; graphic that dubiously touted the length of Jones’ heavyweight championship reign. Not only did the statistic seemingly ignore the existence of interim champion Aspinall, it also fails to mention that Jones has only defended his title once.&lt;/p&gt;
  69. &lt;p id="EOdkHq"&gt;“Undisputed?” Thomas said. “And the longest reign? The way we can kind of manipulate numbers to make something seem great. I’m not hating, I’ve just got to call it like it is. I’ve always got to call it like it is. I’m not hating. I love Jon. I think he is the greatest of all time. But it don’t last forever. Your reign doesn’t last forever. And then when it’s over, you can kind of massage the numbers to make them seem greater and that’s exactly what we’re doing here.&lt;/p&gt;
  70. &lt;p id="3Rg8RC"&gt;“We’re manipulating these stats and the situation and the narrative to make it seem better than it is, but the reality is, he fought Stipe and he got the title from Ciryl Gane, who was deathly afraid of him. He hasn’t been on this run of heavyweights where he’s been tearing guys up.”&lt;/p&gt;
  71.  
  72. </content>
  73.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420923/din-thomas-makes-tom-aspinall-prediction-for-ufc-317-main-event-questions-jon-jones-reign"/>
  74.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420923/din-thomas-makes-tom-aspinall-prediction-for-ufc-317-main-event-questions-jon-jones-reign</id>
  75.    <author>
  76.      <name>Alexander K. Lee</name>
  77.    </author>
  78.  </entry>
  79.  <entry>
  80.    <published>2025-04-30T11:00:00-04:00</published>
  81.    <updated>2025-04-30T11:00:00-04:00</updated>
  82.    <title>Belal Muhammad will walk out with Palestinian flag at UFC 315: ‘Nothing is going to stop me from doing it’</title>
  83.    <content type="html">  
  84.  
  85.    &lt;figure&gt;
  86.      &lt;img alt="UFC 304: Edwards v Muhammad 2" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CaTH7OZgCV1utOL69oNoTmC4weM=/0x0:7153x4769/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057583/2163999154.0.jpg" /&gt;
  87.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  88.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  89.  
  90.  &lt;p id="A9fkEj"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2063/belal-muhammad"&gt;Belal Muhammad&lt;/a&gt; will walk to the octagon with the Palestinian flag on his back as he prepares to defend his welterweight title for the first time at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1512/ufc-315-muhammad-vs-maddalena"&gt;UFC 315&lt;/a&gt; in Montreal on May 10.&lt;/p&gt;
  91. &lt;p id="VWPjJS"&gt;While he has carried the flag with him in previous fights, there was some question about whether or not he would be allowed after the flag was briefly removed from his UFC profile. The flag was later restored with Muhammad stating that it was &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/3/7/24379840/belal-muhammad-speaks-out-palestine-flag-missing-ufc-profile-hopes-to-carry-flag-first-title-defense"&gt;just a mistake that the UFC quickly rectified.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  92. &lt;p id="E70f2P"&gt;“Yeah, 100 percent,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting about walking out with the Palestinian flag. “We’ve talked about it and they’ve accepted it. Nothing is going to stop me from doing it.”&lt;/p&gt;
  93. &lt;p id="E9Xpp7"&gt;Muhammad, whose parents hail from Palestine, has been very outspoken about the ongoing conflict there ever since fighting first occurred. He’s run fundraisers and shown his support for Palestine through interviews and social media.&lt;/p&gt;
  94. &lt;p id="WS5QhT"&gt;He plans to do the same in the days leading up to his fight against &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5772/jack-della-maddalena"&gt;Jack Della Maddalena&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  95. &lt;p id="UN32Qm"&gt;“It’s hard, especially right now,” Muhammad said. “It’s been over two years now where they’re dying, they’re starving, the people over there are in so much pain. The world’s just watching it. The world’s just coming up with excuses for it. It’s wild.”&lt;/p&gt;
  96. &lt;p id="KsqXvF"&gt;As much as defending the UFC title means to him, Muhammad promises he’s always going to be fighting for something bigger, especially with reports that people living in the Gaza strip have had &lt;a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-blockade-malnutrition-children-6c2bf9a5c628626836ebd6ecda3dedf2"&gt;no medicine, fuel or food transported there for the past 60 days.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  97. &lt;p id="Z88Nxf"&gt;Despite the harrowing conditions, Muhammad revealed previously that he still received messages of support and congratulations after he won his UFC title this past July. That has served as even more motivation for him ahead of the title fight at UFC 315.  &lt;/p&gt;
  98. &lt;p id="m9H8YK"&gt;“For me, it just makes me want to work that much harder for them,” Muhammad said. “It makes me go to the gym, run that extra mile, lift that extra weight. Because I can’t lose. There’s no way I’m going to let the people see me not get my hand raised. When they see me fight that day, they’re going to see that flag get raised When they see me win that day, they’re going to see that flag get raised. They’re going to see me get on the mic and talk about them. They’re going to see me get on the mic and be a voice for them.&lt;/p&gt;
  99. &lt;p id="oajDrU"&gt;“The only way I can be their voice is by continuing to win. I just have to keep continuing to work, keep continuing to push it and it’s all in god’s hands. God has a plan for everything and I’m hoping this finally comes to an end soon.”&lt;/p&gt;
  100. &lt;p id="55JTYn"&gt;As much as he’s focused on his upcoming fight, Muhammad says the people in Palestine are never far from his mind, which is why he’s spent just as much time trying to bring attention what’s happening there as he’s done building anticipation for his return on May 10.&lt;/p&gt;
  101. &lt;p id="8Cqy7Z"&gt;That’s another reason why Muhammad was so adamant about carrying the flag with him to the octagon so he can continue to represent the people of Palestine on the biggest stage possible.&lt;/p&gt;
  102. &lt;p id="f2cdO1"&gt;“Like I said, I’ve just been getting so many messages, people just wanting to know what’s happening there because they see me carrying that flag and what it means and what it means to me,” Muhammad said. “If you’re human, you want to know what’s going on there. If you’re human and you see it and you ignore it, you’re not really human. You don’t have a soul. If you can see kids starving, if you see kids dying, if you see all their suffering and you just turn your head away, look at yourself in the mirror and really ask yourself: What would you do if those people were from a different country? What would I do if those people weren’t Arab? What would I do if those people weren’t this color?&lt;/p&gt;
  103. &lt;p id="RZzhuZ"&gt;“Just so many people out here that are afraid to speak up, afraid to say something, afraid to do anything because they’re afraid of the consequences. There shouldn’t be consequences for being human.”&lt;/p&gt;
  104.  
  105. </content>
  106.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24419585/belal-muhammad-will-walk-out-palestinian-flag-at-ufc-315-nothing-is-going-to-stop-me-from-doing-it"/>
  107.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24419585/belal-muhammad-will-walk-out-palestinian-flag-at-ufc-315-nothing-is-going-to-stop-me-from-doing-it</id>
  108.    <author>
  109.      <name>Damon Martin</name>
  110.    </author>
  111.  </entry>
  112.  <entry>
  113.    <published>2025-04-30T10:39:23-04:00</published>
  114.    <updated>2025-04-30T10:39:23-04:00</updated>
  115.    <title>‘I was the man in town’: Tyrone Spong reflects on past UFC offer and the what if’s of his fighting career</title>
  116.    <content type="html">  
  117.  
  118.    &lt;figure&gt;
  119.      &lt;img alt="Glory 15 Istanbul - Light Heavyweight World Championship Kick Boxing Tournament" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/47r2w3LOU9soR6cMXvW-LOZoM4Q=/0x0:4272x2848/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057334/484477345.5.jpg" /&gt;
  120.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Pedro Gomes/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  121.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  122.  
  123.  &lt;p id="Pt6zNd"&gt;Former boxing and kickboxing champion &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/259/tyrone-spong"&gt;Tyrone Spong&lt;/a&gt; was a hot commodity in the combat sports space in the 2010’s, training with UFC stars at fBlackzilians and considering a move to MMA to join the UFC. He went 2-0 in the sport under the World Series of Fighting umbrella, but opted to pursue other avenues in kickboxing and boxing instead.&lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="hHrlG0"&gt;A decade later, as he prepares for his Karate Combat title match with &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/919/sam-alvey"&gt;Sam Alvey&lt;/a&gt; in Dubai on May 2, Spong reflects on what his career could have been.&lt;/p&gt;
  125. &lt;p id="6k9Krs"&gt;“At that time, I had a good contact and meetings with the UFC, with &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2230/dana-white"&gt;Dana White&lt;/a&gt;,” Spong told MMA Fighting. “I love what Dana’s doing. I think by far he’s the best promoter in combat sports. But at that time I was the man in town. I had so many options, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time because it makes you indecisive.”&lt;/p&gt;
  126. &lt;p id="XLvBFq"&gt;Spong won 12 of 13 kickboxing matches in a span three years, the same period in which he won two MMA bouts. The one kickboxing loss was a leg injury that kept him on the sidelines for almost a year before he transitioned to boxing in 2015. Spong then won 14 boxing matches in a row with 13 knockouts. He paused his career in 2019 and only returned three years later, giving MMA another try but losing to longtime veteran &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/360/sergei-kharitonov"&gt;Sergei Kharitonov&lt;/a&gt; at Eagle FC.&lt;/p&gt;
  127. &lt;p id="m8jRr8"&gt;“I was fighting MMA, boxing, kickboxing, all together,” Spong said of the time he had conversations with the UFC. “I think if you want to go into the UFC, you have to solely focus on that. One, because the level of competition. And two, I didn’t want that at that time because I had these other great options, goals and achievements. And when you sign there, you’re stuck on that contract. At that time, the money and being stuck there was not worth it for me. But like I said, if it makes dollars, it makes sense, and the challenge is right, why not?”&lt;/p&gt;
  128. &lt;p id="sNBJ9e"&gt;If the price is right, Spong would consider going back to MMA in the future, but he’s now focused on competing for Karate Combat.&lt;/p&gt;
  129. &lt;p id="HCJ3X5"&gt;“My last MMA fight I did from a long layoff, very short preparation time,” Spong said. “If it’s interesting, why not? Like I said, I’m all about challenging myself and defeating the odds. That’s the story of my life. I’ve defeated the odds plenty of times and that’s the red line in my life and my drive. We’ll see.”&lt;/p&gt;
  130. &lt;p id="ujzyME"&gt;Fellow kickboxer &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6639/artem-vakhitov"&gt;Artem Vakhitov&lt;/a&gt; was the latest pure striker to consider leaving GLORY for MMA, chasing fellow opponent &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5800/alex-pereira"&gt;Alex Pereira&lt;/a&gt; to the octagon. He had a chance on &lt;em&gt;Dana White’s Contender Series,&lt;/em&gt; and came out victorious, but turned down the contract offered to instead return to GLORY to face their superstar Rico Verhoeven.&lt;/p&gt;
  131. &lt;p id="pm0RSa"&gt;“I understand the UFC runs their company according to a certain business model,” said Spong, who trained with Vakhitov before his DWCS fight. “I do think that there are some [exceptions], they do some stuff differently for certain people. Artem is a guy that accomplished a lot. I think he beat their champion — or their ex-champion — once or twice. Very good fights, close fights. He wins the Contender Series and then you want to give him a contract on the same value of just every other guy? I mean, the guy has a name. I don’t know his business, I don’t know his life situation, but if he turns it down, it was probably not interesting for him. &lt;/p&gt;
  132. &lt;p id="pliuo4"&gt;“So I think he stands by his decision. Was it the right call? Only he knows, I can’t answer for him, but if you made that decision, it was probably the right decision for him.”&lt;/p&gt;
  133. &lt;p id="dTEUpC"&gt;Spong, who turns 40 in September, doesn’t think that would have happened with him.&lt;/p&gt;
  134. &lt;p id="2TEJry"&gt;“I’m pretty sure I would get a better offer from the UFC,” Spong said. “I believe so because I know what was offered to me years ago. It was not a bullshit offer. I won’t go into details, but it was not a bad offer. Not at all. It was not bad, but like I said, I had so many options where I could do more and had more challenges and cement my legacy in combat sports in general that I opted not to take it at that time. &lt;/p&gt;
  135. &lt;p id="oMo9yG"&gt;“Do I regret it? What ifs don’t count. It happened. I didn’t do it at that time. If you go and think, what if I had done it? If you look at certain guys, and the successes that they have while I know that, as a fighter you’re confident, where I know that I could beat those guys. Maybe I made the wrong decision, maybe not. Who knows? We’ll never know.”&lt;/p&gt;
  136.  
  137. </content>
  138.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24415059/the-man-in-town-tyrone-spong-reflects-past-ufc-offer-what-ifs-fighting-career-karate-combat"/>
  139.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24415059/the-man-in-town-tyrone-spong-reflects-past-ufc-offer-what-ifs-fighting-career-karate-combat</id>
  140.    <author>
  141.      <name>Guilherme Cruz</name>
  142.    </author>
  143.  </entry>
  144.  <entry>
  145.    <published>2025-04-30T08:44:35-04:00</published>
  146.    <updated>2025-04-30T08:44:35-04:00</updated>
  147.    <title>Watch Ryan Garcia workout ahead of long-awaited return on Times Square fight card</title>
  148.    <content type="html">  
  149.  
  150.    &lt;figure&gt;
  151.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/chagwMYvwChg3c0GSuICRsWkFVg=/43x0:1663x1080/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74056688/GARCIA.0.jpg" /&gt;
  152.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  153.  
  154.  &lt;p id="ZYbGpF"&gt;NEW YORK — Before the historic Times Square boxing event goes down from New York City, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6485/ryan-garcia"&gt;Ryan Garcia&lt;/a&gt; hit the ring for the open workouts on Tuesday as final preparations begin for the event dubbed Fatal Fury: City of Wolves.&lt;/p&gt;
  155. &lt;p id="SEh93N"&gt;Garcia is making his first appearance since he earned a statement win over &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6484/devin-haney"&gt;Devin Haney&lt;/a&gt; that was later overturned to a no-contest due to a failed drug test for a banned substance. Garcia ultimately served a one-year suspension, but now he’s back with hopes that a win over Rolly Romero gets him that rematch with Haney.&lt;/p&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="N4vxKB"&gt;Meanwhile, Haney is also competing on the same card when he faces Jose Carlos Ramirez with identical stakes on the line as he hopes he can eventually avenge that past fight against Garcia.&lt;/p&gt;
  157. &lt;p id="XTRwiU"&gt;Check out the full highlights from Garcia’s open workout ahead of his return on Friday  at the event from Times Square in New York City. &lt;/p&gt;
  158.  
  159. </content>
  160.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24420595/watch-ryan-garcia-workout-ahead-of-long-awaited-return-on-times-square-fight-card"/>
  161.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24420595/watch-ryan-garcia-workout-ahead-of-long-awaited-return-on-times-square-fight-card</id>
  162.    <author>
  163.      <name>MMA Fighting Newswire</name>
  164.    </author>
  165.  </entry>
  166.  <entry>
  167.    <published>2025-04-30T07:00:00-04:00</published>
  168.    <updated>2025-04-30T07:00:00-04:00</updated>
  169.    <title>Can you guess this UFC fighter in today’s in-5 trivia game?</title>
  170.    <content type="html">  
  171.  
  172.    &lt;figure&gt;
  173.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kl226CamyCvUAZ1se4cZ362hrSk=/250x0:2950x1800/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057116/mma_f.0.png" /&gt;
  174.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  175.  
  176.  &lt;p&gt;Think you can figure out which UFC fighter we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="eYpvRD"&gt;We’re back for another day of the SB Nation UFC in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in &lt;a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xZ7YyjrOKLZSN2K2oMl71w3ehBF2C0G48C0J-D7IQHA/edit"&gt;this Google Form&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  177. &lt;h2 id="XBarq4"&gt;Today’s UFC in-5 game&lt;/h2&gt;
  178. &lt;div id="kaFUaq"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://games.voxmedia.com/networks/mma/04-30-2025" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" style="margin-bottom: 25px;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="klUHFM"&gt;If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/games/in-5/"&gt;click this game article&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;h2 id="GxKS63"&gt;Previous games&lt;/h2&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="JUJRRD"&gt;&lt;a href="https://mmafighting.com/games/in-5/04-29-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;Tuesday, April 29, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://mmafighting.com/games/in-5/04-28-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;Monday, April 28, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://mmafighting.com/games/in-5/04-27-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;Sunday, April 27, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  182. &lt;h2 id="2pBKiD"&gt;Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games&lt;/h2&gt;
  183. &lt;p id="eYul3Q"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-games"&gt;NFL in-5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb-games"&gt;MLB in-5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  184. &lt;p id="kWpOTq"&gt;The goal of the game is to guess the correct random UFC fighter player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in &lt;strong&gt;BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED FIGHTERS&lt;/strong&gt;. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. It will be a mix of well-known players and some “that guys” that we haven’t thought of in some time. The game will appear in slot #3 of the MMA Fighting layout each morning, with occasional movement later in the day.&lt;/p&gt;
  185. &lt;p id="UzewZY"&gt;After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. &lt;/p&gt;
  186.  
  187. </content>
  188.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420822/sb-nation-mmaf-daily-trivia-in-5"/>
  189.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/30/24420822/sb-nation-mmaf-daily-trivia-in-5</id>
  190.    <author>
  191.      <name>Mike Heck</name>
  192.    </author>
  193.  </entry>
  194.  <entry>
  195.    <published>2025-04-29T20:09:11-04:00</published>
  196.    <updated>2025-04-29T20:09:11-04:00</updated>
  197.    <title>UFC fighter Sedriques Dumas arrested on multiple charges including robbery and battery, held on more than $500K bond</title>
  198.    <content type="html">  
  199.  
  200.    &lt;figure&gt;
  201.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iUIPpd13uCRZ9eDMLiSnp5y2Jdk=/0x132:1422x1080/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74056678/Sedriques_Dumas_mugshot.0.jpg" /&gt;
  202.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  203.  
  204.  &lt;p id="yicV3l"&gt;UFC fighter &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6099/sedriques-dumas"&gt;Sedriques Dumas&lt;/a&gt; was arrested and booked into Escambia County Jail in Florida on a multitude of charges including robbery and battery.&lt;/p&gt;
  205. &lt;p id="PXDKv3"&gt;Dumas is currently in custody and he’s being held on $558,500 bond, per online court records obtained by MMA Fighting.&lt;/p&gt;
  206. &lt;p id="hdeDtZ"&gt;While the full details around his arrest haven’t been revealed, Dumas was arrested based on several charges with the most serious being robbery at a residence, which is listed as a “home invasion without firearm or weapon.” That charge alone came with a $500,000 bond.&lt;/p&gt;
  207. &lt;p id="iZ7hia"&gt;Dumas was also arrested on felony battery charges and possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted Florida felon.&lt;/p&gt;
  208. &lt;p id="1opPou"&gt;Two additional charges listed on Dumas’ arrest record include possession of drug equipment and possession of drugs/controlled substance without prescription.&lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;p id="Rg9swo"&gt;He was booked into jail on Wednesday and remains in custody at this time.&lt;/p&gt;
  210. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  211.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wug7OrkZP-_tpAYrAHW1Vzgq9TQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25976023/Sedriques_Dumas_arrest.jpg"&gt;
  212.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  213. &lt;p id="XNdchs"&gt;Of course this is not Dumas’ first run in with law enforcement while he’s been under contract with the UFC. He was &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2024/2/13/24071918/ufc-middleweight-sedriques-dumas-arrested-on-felony-battery-charges"&gt;arrested on felony battery charges back in February 2024 &lt;/a&gt;but the charges were eventually dismissed.&lt;/p&gt;
  214. &lt;p id="FFOn7R"&gt;Online records show that Dumas has been arrested more than a dozen times in Escambia County.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="hoACsi"&gt;The 29-year-old fighter last fought at &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1511/ufc-314-volkanovski-vs-lopes"&gt;UFC 314&lt;/a&gt; where he suffered a first round TKO loss to &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4278/michal-oleksiejczuk"&gt;Michal Oleksiejczuk&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="64pjIS"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mike Heck contributed to this report &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="YRekLN"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  218.  
  219. </content>
  220.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24420635/ufc-fighter-sedriques-dumas-arrested-multiple-charges-including-robbery-battery-more-than-500k-bond"/>
  221.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24420635/ufc-fighter-sedriques-dumas-arrested-multiple-charges-including-robbery-battery-more-than-500k-bond</id>
  222.    <author>
  223.      <name>Damon Martin</name>
  224.    </author>
  225.  </entry>
  226.  <entry>
  227.    <published>2025-04-29T20:00:00-04:00</published>
  228.    <updated>2025-04-29T20:00:00-04:00</updated>
  229.    <title>Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero fight card, start time</title>
  230.    <content type="html">  
  231.  
  232.    &lt;figure&gt;
  233.      &lt;img alt="Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero fight card" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WBWQfH11TiDyYKHr_d_A1vBpioY=/0x0:7302x4868/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74056651/2212477159.0.jpg" /&gt;
  234.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero will square off Saturday night. | Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  235.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  236.  
  237.  &lt;p id="EXl3wE"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6485/ryan-garcia"&gt;Ryan Garcia&lt;/a&gt; vs. Rolly Romero fight card and start time is for one of the biggest boxing events of the year in Times Square in New York City on Friday night.&lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;p id="pdGA2X"&gt;In the main event, Ryan Garcia (24-1) will make his long-awaited return when he squares off against Rolly Romero (16-2) in a welterweight contest. Garcia hasn’t fought since last April when he was suspended one year after his failed drug test overturned a win against &lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6484/devin-haney"&gt;Devin Haney&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  239. &lt;p id="pMuy6I"&gt;Devin Haney (31-0) will look to keep his perfect record intact when he battles Jose Ramirez in a lightweight contest.&lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;p id="4yAugM"&gt;The Garcia vs. Romero event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET, and the main event walkout time is still to be determined.&lt;/p&gt;
  241. &lt;aside id="7Lwxvl"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="actionbox" data-anthem-component-data='{"title":"Ryan Garcia Is Back!","description":"Boxing star returns - &amp;lt;a class=\"ql-link\" href=\"https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100l4uKY/pubref:MMAFighting/ar:GarciaVRomero\" target=\"_blank\"&amp;gt;LIVE HERE&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; - on Friday.","label":"Watch Live Stream Here","url":"https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100l4uKY/pubref:MMAFighting/ar:GarciaVRomero"}'&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;p id="IqSfK8"&gt;Check out the Garcia vs. Romero fight card below.&lt;/p&gt;
  242. &lt;p id="fw7zoU"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Main card (DAZN PPV at 5:30 p.m. ET)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  243. &lt;p id="spiyMK"&gt;Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero &lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="zXHSrK"&gt;Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez &lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="D4UX6L"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/6479/teofimo-lopez"&gt;Teofimo Lopez&lt;/a&gt; vs. Arnold Barboza for WBO junior welterweight title&lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="fOAuUo"&gt;Reito Tsutsumi vs. Levale Whittington (1-2-1)&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="u1M6mi"&gt;Joel Allen vs. James Gennari, battle of the NY badges &lt;/p&gt;
  248.  
  249. </content>
  250.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24420379/ryan-garcia-vs-rolly-romero-fight-card-start-time"/>
  251.    <id>https://www.mmafighting.com/2025/4/29/24420379/ryan-garcia-vs-rolly-romero-fight-card-start-time</id>
  252.    <author>
  253.      <name>Bryan Tucker</name>
  254.    </author>
  255.  </entry>
  256. </feed>
  257.  

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