re: UFC - Who headlines International Fight Week?

International Fight Week UFC 317:

Main: Topuria vs Oliveira (LW BELT)
Co-main: Pantoja vs Kai-Kara (FW BELT)

Also Islam vs JDM is official. No time announced yet

This is “meh” to me. I wanted Topuria vs Islam. Cobra Kai has lost 2 of his last 3, that fight does nothing for me

Oliveira for a title lol

Can we officially say Islam is ducking Topuria?

That main card is pretty damn stout.

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Also this is the most anticipated matchup so far. If chimaev stays healthy.

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319 has more hype than 317. And that’s without the rest of 319 announced.

Anybody read about this Alex Pereira retirement tweet debacle?

Pereira claims he was hacked, but who the hell hacks someone's account to post something this specific and serious?

'I always answered the UFC’s calls, but if they want to play with me, we can do that,” Pereira wrote on X. “I’ve never spoken poorly of the UFC but with what I’ve just heard I’m disheartened. I’ve already had thoughts of not fighting anymore, and after what was just relayed to me this may be the start.'

Cormier called Pereira out for lying and said that Pereira felt disrespected because the UFC asked Ankalaev if he would headline UFC 317, but then when Pereira said he wanted more time before the rematch, the UFC told him they'd move on from him and offer the fight to another contender.

This weirdness along with his fight against Ankalaev where I can't remember a single punch that Pereira threw--strange turn of events for a guy who was so on fire just recently.

Topuria is easy to dislike.

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It’s night and day how Ilia and Islam attempted to be 2 weight class champ. Ilia vacated, threw a tempter tantrum about getting his TS, talked all the shite about Islam. Islam vacated and said not a bad thing about JDM. Even after getting his TS vs Olivera , Topuria still talking trash.

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Actually Topuria was replying to Islam's trash talk in that post. The UFC promised Topuria the LW title shot for vacating his belt. Then Islam, who hadn't mentioned moving up for his next fight before Topuria called him out--even though JDM-Belal was already on the books--and who was talking about fighting again at LW vs. Gaethje or Charles or Arman next, and who said in his post-fight with Rogan that whoever makes 155, put them in the cage in front of me and I'll fight them--then all of a sudden he's moving up for his next fight. I don't blame him, moving up and winning is the best / smartest thing Islam can do for himself and his legacy. I'm just saying, devil's advocate here.

Belal loses and Islam immediately praises Allah on X--who cares that his friend just got his a** kicked. Rejoicing? Felt like that was uncharacteristic of Islam. Time to become double champ. Then tells JDM to keep his belt clean.

Like him or dislike him, Topuria has created the most interesting storyline in the UFC right now. The fight seemed dead after JDM beat Belal, but now Islam is saying beat Charles and we'll talk. This is as close as we can get to Conor-Khabib. And this is the fight game, so the consequences are all baked right into the cake--if Topuria can't back up his trash talk, he'll get his a** beat by Islam.

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He will probably get his arse beat by Charles.

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Definitely possible. Not sure about Charles since Islam beat him, though. I really thought Charles could beat Islam. Then the eyebrow cut that called off the rematch. The Arman fight. Chandler's late flurry. Chael Sonnen was saying that Charles didn't want the rematch vs. Islam for some reason. I don't know.

I like Charles. I still think he could beat Islam.