An infamous time in the world of mixed martial arts, the Khabib-McGregor rivalry was sparked when Nurmagomedov and his team, including Tukhugov, corned Lobov during the UFC 223 Fight Week in April 2018, slapping the SBG Ireland fighter several times following trash talk online and in the media.

Though the pair have since had a very public falling out, Lobov at the time was a close friend and training partner of McGregor. The incident led to McGregor and his team attacking a bus in the Barclay’s Center parking garage on April 5, two days prior to the PPV card, shattering a window and injuring Michael Chiesa (who was cut) and Ray Borg (who had glass shards in his eye), both of whom were innocent bystanders caught up in the turmoil.

Lobov and Tukhugov were later booked to fight that October, but after Nurmagomedov sparked a melee at UFC 229 attacking McGregor’s corner after submitting the Irish star, Zubaira entered the fray and found himself suspended. Now, all these years later, the pair will finally throw down for a different promotion, part of the PFL Champions Series 3 card in Dubai next month.

“We have to finally finish this off. There’s no point doing the talking, let’s do the fighting,” Lobov said during a recent media session with Cageside Press on hand. “We’re fighters. We’ve seen them approach me with ten guys, so let’s now see how it goes one-on-one.”

Tukhugov, in that same face-off media session, agreed that the fight had been “a long time coming. It’s a very promising fight for public, for audience, for both of us. We have a little thing to settle, so I think it’s going to be exciting for everybody involved.”

Dagestan’s Tukhugov, however, appears to have moved on from the rivalry that the PFL is no doubt banking on to draw eyeballs. “I wouldn’t say we’re still the same level of bad blood right now. It’s been six years. I kind of already let it pass. If I had bad feelings, we definitely would have solved that within six years. So right now, it’s all pure sport.”

The same sentiments were not on display by Artem Lobov, who appears eager to settle an old score in the cage. “For me, how can it be over if we didn’t get a chance to actually fight? Obviously there was a lot of things said, a lot of things happened, but I feel the story wasn’t over yet. We spoke a lot about it, and we have to finish it with a fight. That’s what we do, we’re fighters. Words don’t mean as much as actions, so we have to get in there and fight,” Lobov told Cageside Press. “For sure to me I feel the story’s not over until we go into that cage and put the fight on. Then we get to see what’s what.”

“We’ve seen a lot of action from Zubaira when he was talking to me, telling me to say it to his own face when there was ten guys there,” Lobov, who has not competed in several years, added. “Well now, it’s going to be one-on-one, and I’ll finally get a chance to say it to his face. And he can say whatever he wants to my face too, and we’ll finally get to close that chapter. The right way; that’s the way it should be done.”

“This is too big of a story not to have a fight at the end.”

Lobov hasn’t fought in MMA since 2018, and it was 2021 that last time he knuckled up for BKFC. Tukhugov has been on the sidelines as well in recent years.

“Yes indeed. It’s been three years since I was fighting last, but I have a great camp right now,” stated Zubaira. “It’s not any worse, not any better than before. I’m back on track, we have a full camp right now and I’m looking forward to it.”

Lobov, meanwhile, called getting back to training for a live fight “interesting,” though he added that “to be honest with you I’ve enjoyed the time off. I felt I needed it. As you know, towards the end of my career I was doing bare-knuckle. Very intense sport, very demanding on the body, and mentally as well. You get into a blender, fists are flying, blood everywhere, it’s a difficult sport.”

And so Lobov was simply done with MMA and fighting, at least for a time. “I really, really needed the break, but after a while, fighting’s something that’s in my blood. I love fighting.” You can see that from how his fights go, Lobov added. “Once I got a little break, I started feeling those feelings again. The adrenaline, wanting to feel that adrenaline again. And obviously this was a big fight that I had to have. We just absolutely had to put this fight together, had to tick that box off.”

Watch  the full PFL Champions Series face-off interview with Artem Lobov and Zubaira Tukhugov above.

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Tukhugov, however, had made sure that the 25-year old talent, still raw and young in his career, was well compensated for the trip to Perth, Australia. That’s after Tukhugov came in a pound and a half over the limit for the pair’s lightweight contest.

The duo kicked off the UFC 284 card early Sunday morning local time, in the first UFC event in Australia since 2019.

In the first round it was Brenner engaging while Tukhugov was patient. Twice early in the fight Brenner threw a switch knee. A right and a left from Tukhugov landed which were the biggest strikes landed up until then. Brenner landed a few good leg kicks but Tukhugov was countering him with short hooks. Tukhugov did suffer a cut in the center of his forehead from a jumping knee. Brenner then landed an inside leg kick that had Tukhugov readjusting. The round ended with another jumping knee from Brenner.

In round two, both fighters were throwing plenty. It was Tukhugov with the left hook and Brenner with the leg kicks. A nice jab from Tukhugov was starting to pick up some steam landing every time he threw it. Brenner, although he kept on throwing, was backing up a lot. As the round went on Tukhugov was more proficient, had more volume, and the feints kept Brenner a step behind.

In the final round, Brenner most likely needed a finish. Tukhugov did a good job early on backing Brenner against the cage and landing a left hook. Tukhugov did attempt his first takedown in the fight but Brenner defended. Right after that Brenner landed a nice spinning backfist. Tukhugov shot two more times for a takedown but couldn’t get it. Brenner did spend a lot of round three with his back on the cage.

The scorecards saw all three judges favoring Brenner (going by Elves Brener per the broadcast), an outcome many were questioning in the aftermath of the fight — including the promotion’s own broadcast team of Jon Anik, Michael Bisping, and Dominick Cruz.

Official Result: Elves Brenner def. Zubaira Tukhugov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Elves Brenner
Standing at Five-foot-nine
Fighting at 155 lbs (lightweight)
25-years-old
Fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Training out of Chute Boxe Diego Lima
A pro record of 13-3
1 KO/TKO, 11 Submissions

How will Brenner fare in the UFC:

Of all the prospects in Brazil I didn’t think Brenner was close to landing in the UFC. He’s 2-2 in his last four. He is only 25 and trains out of a good team so there is some upside. I still don’t like the signing because Brenner is going to struggle to get wins in the UFC.

It’s hard to point out areas where Brenner is best at. I would say he’s decent everywhere but isn’t great anywhere. On the feet, Brenner is volume based and throws a variety of attacks. He’s not technical and instead of throwing straights, he’s looping punches. His hand speed is slow and that’s why a lot of the time he ends up countered. Same with his kicks. He likes to throw a lot of kicks but they are not being set up; as a result he’s been easy to read.

Brenner I would say is a slightly better grappler than anything else. On top or on the bottom he’s moving to get better positions and hunting for submissions. At the same time, his takedown defense isn’t great and he will lose minutes fighting off his back.

I’m big on guys getting these big opportunities, but sometimes it’s better off waiting a little longer for the big opportunity to come. Brenner simply isn’t UFC level. Yet. He’s only 25 so more time on the regional scene would’ve been better in the long run.

How Brenner and Tukhugov match up:

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Just prior to Friday’s official weigh-in in Abu Dhabi, UFC officials announced that Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lucas Almeida has been removed from the event. The dreaded “weight management issues” were cited as the reason, with Tukhugov reportedly to blame.

Dagestani featherweight Tukhugov (20-5-1), part of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp, most recently competed last October at UFC 267, picking up a unanimous decision victory over Ricardo Ramos. Tukhugov had been expected to return to action this past August, only to pull out of a fight with Nate Landwehr.

Tukhugov has had weight struggles before, missing the mark for a UFC 253 match-up with Hakeem Dawodu, which he ultimately lost. Tukhugov has endured multiple extended layoffs during his UFC career, thanks to both a USADA suspension, and a suspension for his part in the chaos stemming from UFC 229.

Lucas Almeida (14-1) was coming off a win in his promotional debut against Ultimate Fighter winner Mike Trizano.

UFC 280 will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE this Saturday, October 22, 2022. The following fights remain on the card:

• Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – for the vacant UFC lightweight championship
• Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. T.J. Dillashaw – for the UFC bantamweight championship
• Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley
• Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot
• Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot
• Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
• Makhmud Muradov vs. Caio Borralho
• Nikita Krylov vs. Volkan Oezdemir
• Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
• Armen Petrosyan vs. A.J. Dobson
• Muhammad Mokaev vs. Malcolm Gordon
• Karol Rosa vs. Lina Länsberg

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With Zubaira Tukhugov out of an August 6 date with Landwehr, David Onama has stepped up to face “The Train” in a featherweight match-up at UFC San Diego. Iridium Sports Agency announced Onama’s involvement Wednesday, with the fighter himself later confirming the booking.

MMA Junkie had earlier reported that Tukhugov was experiencing difficulties securing a visa to fight in the U.S. UFC San Diego takes place on August 13, just a week after Landwehr vs. Tukhgov was originally scheduled.

Onama (10-1) fought earlier this month, picking up a submission win over short-notice replacement Garrett Armfield. The victory marked Onama’s second straight inside the octagon; he’s 2-1 with the company overall.

Landwehr (15-4), a former M-1 champ, has traded wins and losses since joining the UFC in 2020. He’s 2-2, and will enter UFC San Diego off a win over Ľudovít Klein.

The August 13 Fight Night event is headlined by bantamweights Marlon Vera and Dominick Cruz. The following fights have been reported for the card:

• Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz
• Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araújo
• Malcolm Gordon vs. Allan Nascimento
• Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann
• Devin Clark vs. Azamat Murzakanov
• Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bruno Silva
• Martin Buday vs. Łukasz Brzeski
• Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes
• Yazmin Jauregui vs. Iasmin Lucindo
• Gabriel Benítez vs. Charlie Ontiveros
• Nate Landwehr vs. David Onama

The post David Onama Replaces Zubaira Tukhugov Against Nate Landwehr, Fight Moves to UFC San Diego appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Monday, the UFC announced that Nate Landwehr will fight Zubaira Tukhugov on August 6 at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill.

Landwehr (15-4) got back in the win column in his last outing and most likely saved his UFC career. At UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont picked up his first submission win against Ludovit Klein via anaconda choke. The always exciting Landwehr has alternated wins and losses so far in his UFC career.

Like his opponent, Tukhugov (20-5-1) got back in the win in his last outing. At UFC 267 on ‘Fight Island,’ the Russian defeated Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision. Before UFC 267, Tukhugov lost a split decision to Hakeem Dawodu and fought to a draw with Lerone Murphy.

The UFC’s August 6, 2022, Fight Night card will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The following fights have been reported for the event:

• Thiago Santos vs. Jamahal Hill
• Zac Pauga vs. Mohammad Usman
• Miranda Granger vs. Cory McKenna
• Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal
• Terrance McKinney vs. Erick Gonzalez
• Sam Alvey vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
• Augusto Sakai vs. Sergey Spivak
• Jason Witt vs. Josh Quinlan
• Stephanie Egger vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
• Priscila Cachoeira vs. Ariane Lipski
• Bryan Battle vs. Takashi Sato
• Nate Landwehr vs. Zubaira Tukhugov

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Lightweights Ricardo Ramos and Zubaira Tukhugov threw down at UFC 267, part of the preliminary card at the Abu Dhabi event.

While Ramos entered the night off a win over Bill Algeo, Tukhugov was looking to shake off a loss to Hakeem Dawodu — and competing for the first time in over a year.

Tukhugov began the fight by walking down Ramos, Ramos tried his best to establish his jab and keep Tughugov off of him to no avail. Eventually, Tukhugov landed a huge left hook that hurt Ramos, even if briefly. Tukhugov noticed that shot was working for him and landed it twice more, the latter of which busted open Ramos badly on a counter shot over his eye. Tukhugov was landing the left at will, but as he was going in near the end of the round he ate a hard spinning back elbow that rocked Tukhugov. It wasn’t enough to end the fight, but it got Tukhugov’s respect enough to see round two.

Ramos came out aggressive to start round two, as his late-round success seemingly shook him awake. Ramos landed several big hands one of which forced Tukhugov to shoot, but it was stuffed. Tukhugov began to find a home for his jab over the course of the round and after a furious start by Ramos, was beginning to be backed up to the fence. A close round was punctuated by a big takedown by Tukhugov to end the round.

Tukhugov came out pressuring to start round three, but Ramos eventually found his own success and tried to keep Tukhugov off of him with his right straight. Tukhugov was the more active fighter and was more diverse in his strikes, however, both were badly winded by the third round. Ramos eventually found a home for his body kick, but near the end of the round once again Tukhugov got a takedown to end a close round on the back of Ramos.

Official Result: Zubaira Tukhugov def. Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision (29-28, 3x)

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Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC)

Welterweight (170lbs): 1-0 (UFC), 3-0 (MMA)

Catchweight (176lbs): 1-0 (MMA)

Middleweight (185lbs): 2-0 (UFC)

Khamzat Chimaev seemingly took the UFC by storm in 2020 when he burst onto the scene with three fights and three finishes in different weight classes. At least before ultimately being derailed by a bad case of COVID-19 with lingering effects towards the end of the year.

For UFC 267 Khamzat Chimaev is back in his prime division. Or in my opinion, the weight class where he belongs for the time being (170lbs). At 6’2″ with a 75″ reach Khamzat has a big lanky frame and at 27 years old is able to take off weight pretty quickly.

For Khamzat’s only welterweight fight in the UFC thus far, he did it on an extremely shortened turnaround of just ten days. Chimaev even had a high-ranking Leon Edwards fight lined up multiple times so 170lbs would be the ideal place to stay for the time being.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC 267 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The booking will see both fighters look to bounce back from recent losses. Tass.ru reporter Igor Lazorin was first to report the news.

Tukhugov (19-5-1), a member of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s inner circle, last competed in September. That fight, at UFC 253, saw him come up short, losing a split decision to Canadian Hakeem Dawodu. Overall, Tukhugov is 1-1-1 in his past three fights, with a win over Kevin Aguilar, and draw with Lerone Murphy.

The Russian fighter started his UFC tenure on a three-fight win streak. However, a loss to Renato Moicano, followed by a two-year USADA suspension, followed in turn by an additional year-long suspension for his part in the UFC 229 melee, stopped his momentum in its tracks.

Brazil’s Ricardo Ramos also came up short in his last outing. Ramos (14-3) was finished by Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Island 1 in July 2020. That snapped a two-fight win streak, which included a Performance of the Night bonus for his submission of Luiz Eduardo Garagorri.

The UFC’s March 13 event does not have an location or venue announced. Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev at welterweight is expected to headline. The following bouts have been reported for the card:

Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Davey Grant vs. Jonathan Martinez
Jason Witt vs. Matthew Semelsberger
Jinh Yu Frey vs. Gloria de Paula
Ciryl Gane vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Matheus Nicolau vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
Dan Ige vs. Ryan Hall
Eryk Anders vs. Darren Stewart
Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Ricardo Ramos

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Kicking off the UFC 253 main card on Saturday was Canada’s Hakeem Dawodu, going up against Russian Zubaira Tukhugov.

The featherweight bout represented a chance for Dawodu to perhaps break into the rankings with a strong performance. Tukhugov, meanwhile, was looking to win two in a row for the first time in years. He also had something to make up for, after blowing weight by a full four pounds on Friday. The bout opened up with a few jumping front kick to the body attempts from Dawodu that didn’t land. Tukhugov connected with a nice counter lead hook on Dawodu as he stepped inside the pocket. Dawodu responded with a leg kick and Tukhugov later landed a nice right hand.

A nice uppercut to the body landed for Dawodu and Tukhugov responded with another right hand down the pipe. A nice jab landed from Tukhugov to end the first round. The second round kicked off with the jumping front kick to the body landing for Dawodu. Dawodu with another lead uppercut to the body and followed up with a leg kick. Tukhugov began to come forward with some shots but ended up eating a jab. Tukhugov responded with a hard couple of hooks, but Dawodu returned fire with a leg kick. Tukhugov landed the right hand off a Dawodu leg kick.

Another nice body shot connected for Dawodu inside the pocket. Both men exchanged some big shots in the middle of the Octagon, and Tukhugov failed on a takedown attempt. A big overhand missed from Tukhugov, but he responded with a successful takedown attempt against the cage. The round came to an end with Tukhugov on Dawodu’s back.

The final round began with Dawodu getting off some leg kicks. A nice head kick connected for Dawodu, and Tukhugov shot in on a takedown, but Dawodu defended very nicely. Dawodu landed a very nice left hook, and Tukhugov again shot in on the takedown, but Dawodu escaped the clinch up beautifully. Dawodu calls for Tukhugov to stand and bang with him in the center of the Octagon, but Tukhugov continues to back up and play it smart. A nice counter right hand landed for Dawodu, who begans to talk trash loudly. Another jumping front kick to the body from Dawodu which just lands, and the fight is over as time expires.

Official Result: Hakeem Dawodu def. Zubaira Tukhugov via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

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