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The Roundup: biggest MMA & UFC stories, Sep 15

Aspinall vacates the heavyweight belt, Jones can't resist gloating, Coker unveils Ki MMA's ring format, and UFC 331's card takes hits before Saturday.

This is an Open Scoring MMA News Alert.

Aspinall Hands Over the Belt, and Jones Can't Resist Rubbing It In

Tom Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title because of an ongoing eye injury [1]. That's the same belt Jon Jones gave up more than a year ago rather than fight Aspinall, and Jones wasted no time taunting his old rival now that the title is open again [1]. With the belt vacant, five heavyweights suddenly have a much clearer road to gold [1]. Josh Hokit is already pushing to fight interim champion Ciryl Gane, saying he wants to be the most active champ in the division [1].

Jones Fires Back at Makhachev Over PED Talk

Jon Jones responded to Islam Makhachev's PED allegations by telling him to keep telling himself it was steroids [2]. Jones is widely considered the greatest of all time in MMA, sitting at 28 wins and 1 loss [2]. Makhachev is one of the fighters starting to challenge that GOAT status publicly, and Jones clearly isn't letting it slide [2].

Scott Coker Unveils Ki MMA, and It's Built Different

Scott Coker officially launched Ki MMA on Monday, marking his return to the sport since Bellator got absorbed by rival PFL [3]. The new promotion will run a 32-fighter global grand prix format [3]. Coker says the fights will happen in a ring instead of a cage because it makes for a better viewing experience [3]. Matchmaker Rich Chou is already pushing back on tradition, saying Ki MMA doesn't have to run eight weight classes like everyone else [3].

UFC 331 Card Shakes Up Before Saturday

Dana White tacked on an extra $50,000 bonus for the card with an unusual catch attached [4]. Tai Tuivasa is currently on a 7-fight losing streak, meaning he is one loss away from matching Tony Ferguson's record for an 8-fight losing streak [4]. The card still delivers plenty: Joshua Van defends his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch, Arman Tsarukyan meets Mauricio Ruffy, and Gable Steveson returns to the cage [4].

Nate Diaz Flirts With a UFC Rival

Nate Diaz says he's "100%" interested in signing with a new UFC rival after already turning down a return to the Octagon [7]. He's keeping his options open and plans to fight everywhere for the foreseeable future [7].

Dvalishvili Promises to "Break His Face" in Yan Trilogy

Merab Dvalishvili is planning a stance adjustment for his third fight against Petr Yan, set for the co-main event of UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi [8]. Speaking on UFC on Paramount, he admitted he made mistakes in his strategy the last time out and wants the bantamweight belt back [8].

Poatan's Training Partner Is On a Heater

Yousri Belgaroui knocked out Djorden Santos at Noche UFC in Arizona for his third straight win since debuting in the UFC, and all three have come by knockout [9]. His camp is already calling him "the boogeyman," and after a run like that it's hard to argue [9].

Sources

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