MMA

UFC legend José Aldo is retiring from mixed martial arts and has received his release from the promotion.

Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting reported Aldo will be free to explore a career in boxing or other combat sports. He had one fight left on his contract with UFC before negotiating the release.

The 36-year-old made his professional debut in 2004 and has fought at least once in every year since. He's compiled a 31-8 overall record, with his last 20 fights coming in the UFC.

One of the most dominant fighters of his era, Aldo was the inaugural UFC featherweight champion and made seven successful title defenses before losing to Conor McGregor in 2015. He regained the featherweight championship the following July after it was vacated by McGregor but lost it in his next bout against Max Holloway.

The loss to Holloway started a string of five defeats in seven fights for Aldo, who moved to bantamweight in 2019. A loss to Petr Yan at UFC 251 seemed like it may be the beginning of the end, but Aldo rebounded with three straight wins before losing what will be his final UFC fight against Merab Dvalishvili in August.

“When he was down and I shake his hand and tell him, ‘Thank you so much for the fight,’ and I go to respect him, he was down,” Dvalishvili said after the fight. "And I tried to help him, and he was telling me, he said, ‘That means this is my last fight, because it was my last run to title.’ And then he said, ‘I guess I’m done.’”

Aldo has been linked to pursuing a professional boxing career and may ultimately choose that path after retiring from MMA. He has never boxed professionally.

Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of late heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali, has signed an amateur contract with the Professional Fighters League.

According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the 24-year-old will compete at the PFL tournament finals in November.

Ali Walsh said the following about signing with PFL after posting a 1-1 record as an amateur MMA fighter:

"I want to thank Professional Fighters League for their support and confidence in me. I have a legacy to live up to, a legacy that my grandfather began, that my brother and I continue. I chose to continue that legacy here in the Professional Fighters League. My one and only goal is to one day become a PFL World Champion."

Aside from being the grandson of arguably the greatest boxer of all time, Ali Walsh is best known for being a star running back in high school who went on to play collegiately.

The 3-star recruit played at the renowned Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas before attending the University of California and transferring to UNLV.

Last listed at 5'10" and 185 pounds, he saw game action in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, registering nine rushing yards on four carries in addition to making three tackles and forcing a fumble.

Per Okamoto, Ali Walsh transitioned to MMA in 2020, and he continues to train out of his hometown of Las Vegas.

The 24-year-old Ali Walsh told Okamoto that his grandfather had a "huge impact" on his life and has long been a source of inspiration.

Ali was a pro boxer from 1960 to 1981, and during that time he amassed a 56-5 record with 37 wins by way of knockout. He was also a multitime world heavyweight champion and one of the most outspoken, flashy, popular and recognized athletes of all time.

In 2016, Ali died at the age of 74 from a respiratory illness. Ali faced Parkinson's disease for many years prior to his death.

Many members of Ali's family have followed in his footsteps in the world of combat sports. His daughter, Laila Ali, went 24-0 as a pro boxer from 1999 to 2007. Ali Walsh's 22-year-old brother, Nico, is 6-0 as a professional boxer.

Biaggio Ali Walsh is expected to turn pro next year, and the PFL will represent his first significant challenge since making the move to MMA.

The joyful rage with which Khamzat Chimaev dismantled Kevin Holland on Saturday at UFC 279 was truly a sight to behold.

The excitable Chimaev, who scuttled his main event with Nate Diaz after missing weight by more than seven pounds, controlled the co-main event from pillar to post, overwhelming a proven veteran with a first-round D'Arce choke submission. It was like watching a giant baby throw his toys around the room without realizing they were full-grown adults.

If that doesn't paint enough of a picture, consider the UFC statistics. In two minutes and 13 seconds of action, Holland failed to attempt, much less land, a single strike. That will happen when you spend all your time desperately trying to scramble out of a relentless barrage of submission attempts. Chimaev was in control for 1:56 of the contest, so all but 17 seconds. That's pretty stark.

Still, you have to see Chimaev to believe him—the way he sprints toward his opponent and upends him, dumping him on the mat so quickly and so forcefully and laying on punishment and working for submissions so rapidly and methodically that the opponent shuts down. The win put the 28-year-old Chechen-Swede at 12-0 overall and 6-0 in the UFC. The only UFC opponent to go the distance with Chimaev was Gilbert Burns earlier this year in that memorable Fight of the Night performance. Four opponents didn't make it past the first round.

Interestingly, that big weight miss might have opened the door to new competitive possibilities for Chimaev. The natural welterweight just competed at a 180-pound catchweight and destroyed a longtime middleweight in Holland. Chimaev has long had designs on being a dual champion, and this bit of serendipity could add fuel to the fire. Though he clarified after the fight that he would return to welterweight, where he is No. 3 in the official rankings, Chimaev reiterated his desire to make a run at 185 pounds, which seems closer to reality than ever.

"I'm going for both weight classes," Chimaev told broadcaster Joe Rogan after the fight, per MMA Fighting. "We'll go for both belts."

With possibilities in both weight classes and more momentum than perhaps any other fighter on the UFC roster, Chimaev is in a good position to call his shots. Here's a look at three possibilities that could work for his next engagement.

---

Colby Covington

Covington has the wrestling and the gas tank to push Chimaev into the later rounds, where his white-hot fury tends to wane. He's also not above a brawl and could sucker the hyper-eager Chimaev into a mistake. It would also be interesting to see Chimaev attempt (or not attempt) to ply his wrestling pressure against a true wrestling standout in Covington.

Perhaps just as importantly, this is a bout between two polarizing figures. Covington is a full-throated supporter of MAGA nation, while Chimaev is prone to volatility (see: UFC 279 press conference, canceled after Chimaev helped instigate a backstage melee) and is a close friend and associate of oppressive Chechen politician, Vladimir Putin ally and MMA fan Ramzan Kadyrov. These aren't the kinds of things you'll see in a UFC promo, but a little heel-on-heel violence is always intriguing.

The problem: Covington doesn't have a ton of incentive to take this fight. Chimaev is younger and more explosive, and he would likely be installed as the favorite. Covington appears much more interested in catchweight showcases with bigger names, such as Dustin Poirier and middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Neither of those seems particularly likely, but it gives you a sense of Covington's personal matchmaking head space. From that perspective, the more dangerous, less famous option probably doesn't get fast-tracked to the front of the queue.

I want Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington. I'm 90% sure that Covington wants nothing to do with Chimaev.

— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) September 11, 2022

Still, I'd love to see it, as would most of the MMA community.

---

Gilbert Burns

Two words: re. match. As previously mentioned, Burns is the only fighter to give Chimaev a run for his money.

Chimaev took a 29-28 scorecard from all three judges but earned it after a Fight of the Year candidate with Burns. Between them, they landed 227 significant strikes (119-108 in Burns' favor), and Chimaev hit two of three takedowns and racked up more than two minutes of control time—no mean feat against a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Burns. Still, Burns twice briefly dropped Chimaev in the second round and bloodied his nose in easily the most damage Chimaev had taken in the UFC. The fight ended with an incredibly close round that saw both fighters exhausted and fighting to the bottom of their gas tanks.

These two just left it ALL in the Octagon. What. A. Fight 🔥

[ #UFC273 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV: https://t.co/KOluT78H6K ] pic.twitter.com/zTz9bbGVOf

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022

Burns has frequently called for a rematch, so if nothing else, you have a willing opponent—a positive quality in and of itself when you're talking about Chimaev. One wrinkle: Burns apparently has agreed in principle to a bout with Jorge Masvidal, so his dance card may be full for the foreseeable future. But this one will always be on the table as an intriguing run-back.

---

Paulo Costa

Holland was a middleweight for six years and was planning to fight Daniel Rodriguez at 180-pound catchweight even before he was slotted in against Chimaev. But he returned to welterweight earlier this year, again making it his default home.

In other words, even on his biggest days, no one is characterizing Kevin Holland as a big middleweight. If Chimaev really wants to test his mettle in the 185-pound division, he should jump into that with both feet. That means facing down the incredible hulk that is Paulo Costa.

It's a winnable fight for Chimaev, but Costa's size alone offers distinct challenges to his wrestling and overall approach. Chimaev will not be able to rag-doll Costa the way he did Holland.

But don't take it from me. Take it from Costa himself.

"I know [Chimaev] just want to fight small guys, short guys, shy guys like Burns," Costa told The Mac Life (h/t MMA Junkie). "Guys who you can beat and be a bully, but I'm not. I'm a big one, I'm the biggest middleweight in the UFC, so you cannot bully me. When you show up, I will be here, ready for you because you are a 'Gourmet Chechen,' you are a fake gangster, so that's it."

I know I'd tune in for this.

---

Winner of Rematch Between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards

There's no question that, barring some misfortune, Usman-Edwards 3 will take place in the foreseeable future, likely at the end of this year or early next. UFC brass is pulling out all the stops to schedule a show in Edwards' native England.

It's fitting for a guy who just pulled out one of the greatest come-from-behind wins in UFC history, knocking out champ Kamaru Usman in the fifth and final round to take the welterweight title.

These guys have unfinished business. But no matter who wins, who else but Chimaev would receive the title shot? Covington, the only fighter outside of Edwards and Usman to sit higher than Chimaev on the rankings, would surely try to talk his way into a date with Edwards. But with all the talent and heat around Chimaev? It's not a hard call.

It would mean Chimaev has to sit on the shelf for a while—especially if Covington ducks him, and that would be another reason they wouldn't give Covington a title shot over Chimaev—and that may not be palatable. It's also no fun for fans to have such an electric talent healthy but on the bench for an extended period of time.

That's why, to me, Covington-Chimaev is the match to make. There would be plenty of ill will in the lead-up to the showdown, and it would pit two great wrestlers, both with proven experience under the bright lights, against each other. And then in the winner, you'd have your clear-cut, surefire challenger for the next belt. (In this instance, they might even give Covington one last shot at Usman, given that the previous two bouts were close.)

But it's anyone's guess, and the dust is still settling from a wild weekend in Las Vegas. Wherever Chimaev ends up next, he'll be appointment viewing for anyone who wants to witness next-level MMA—and, quite likely, a future champion.

While the UFC did not discipline any of the fighters for the backstage altercations that led to the cancellation of Thursday's UFC 279 news conference, the Nevada Athletic Commission could do so depending on the outcome of its investigation.

"The Nevada Athletic Commission will strictly discipline all licensees for all incidents of physical violence between athletes outside the ring or cage, up to and including purse forfeiture, revocation or suspension of any current license, denial of applications for new applicants, or denying future license renewals," NSAC chairman Stephen J. Cloobeck said in a statement, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.

Raimondi described the chaos, which he noted began with a "near brawl between UFC fighters Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland."

Chimaev approached Holland, words were exchanged, Holland pushed him away, and Chimaev landed a front kick before UFC fighter Li Jingliang attempted to break them up. MMA agent Tiki Ghosn was among those helping to break up the fight, and Nate Diaz and his group threw water bottles at him when they assumed he was with Chimaev.

UFC President Dana White canceled the news conference and told reporters: "I'm in very weird waters. This has never happened in the history of this company."

That was just the beginning of the strange occurrences, as Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds. That forced a reshuffling of the fight card with Diaz facing Tony Ferguson, Holland and Chimaev squaring off, and Li meeting Daniel Rodriguez.

Diaz-Ferguson was the headliner, and the former put on a show while clinching a fourth-round submission victory at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It may have been the last fight of Diaz's UFC career. If so, he went out with a statement.

MMA fighter Elias Theodorou died Sunday of liver cancer.

He was 34.

Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports confirmed Theodorou's death, reporting his cancer diagnosis was known to only "a select group of people."

Theodorou fought in UFC from 2014 to 2019, compiling an 8-3 record with the promotion and winning the Ultimate Fighter: Nations middleweight tournament.

After his departure from UFC, Theodorou fought three more times, with his most recent being a win over Bryan Baker in December. He finished his MMA career with a 19-3 record overall.

Beyond his in-ring career, Theodorou was also a staunch advocate for medical cannabis. He became the first professional athlete in North America to receive a therapeutic use exemption for medical cannabis from a state athletic commission in 2020.

"They kept on telling me to take more prescription drugs, when my doctor and I knew that cannabis was right for me," Theodorou told CBS News. "They were telling me to take antidepressants and opioids, all while ironically or sadly having a campaign about the opioid crisis."

While marijuana is legal in many states for medical or recreational purposes, it remains illegal on a federal level. That makes it difficult for athletes to obtain medical exemptions in competitions governed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which is a federally run program.

Theodorou said he hoped to inspire change that would help athletes eventually be able to use cannabis for medical purposes.