UFC President Dana White responded to accusations of bullying by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.
In an exclusive interview with TMZ Sports, White issued a point-by-point response to all the problems Johnson has with him and the promotion:
J…
UFC President Dana White responded to accusations of bullying by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.
In an exclusive interview with TMZ Sports, White issued a point-by-point response to all the problems Johnson has with him and the promotion:
Johnson issued a statement to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on June 5 about his problems with White and UFC management.
In the statement, Johnson called himself “the best fighter in the world and arguably the greatest fighter of all time” and said UFC “chooses not to market” him.
Johnson also noted he received a phone call from UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby and was told “smaller fighters don’t sell, that UFC can’t make stars of anyone and that a fight between Cody [Garbrandt] and I wouldn’t be a sellable fight.”
He went on to say White told him “he would get rid of the entire flyweight division” if he didn’t take a fight against T.J. Dillashaw.
Johnson is the first UFC flyweight champion. He won the inaugural title at UFC 152 and has successfully defended it 10 times, most recently defeating Wilson Reis at a UFC on Fox special in April.
Max Holloway won the undisputed featherweight championship with a third-round TKO victory over Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night.
Both Aldo and Holloway entered the matchup with legitimate claim to the title of …
Max Hollowaywon the undisputed featherweight championship with a third-round TKOvictory over Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night.
Both Aldo and Holloway entered the matchup with legitimate claim to the title of best 145-pound fighter in the world. Aldo is one of the greatest mixed martial artists already at the age of 30, with a 26-2 career prior to the bout, while Holloway came into the fight riding a 10-fight winning streak over the last three years.
In the end, Hollowaywas able to prevail and leave no doubt about the best fighter in the division.
UFC 212 Results
Featherweight Championship: Max Holloway def. Jose Aldo via TKO (third round)
Welterweight: Luan Chagas def. Jim Wallhead via submission (second round)
Flyweight: Deiveson Figueiredo def. Marco Beltran via TKO (second round)
Holloway’s win capped off his rise to stardom. The 25-year-old’s last loss was against Conor McGregor in 2013. McGregor’s career exploded after knocking out Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 in December 2015.
This was Holloway’s biggest fight in UFC, and he made it count in grand fashion with a third-round stoppage.
After Holloway disposed of Aldo, social media expressed its respect for the Hawaii native:
Prior to the main event, the biggest story of the show was Vitor Belfort and Nate Marquardt fighting all 15 minutes.
Belfort in particular is not known for having long, drawn-out battles. Saturday marked his first match that went past the second round since his 2012 light-heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones and his first fight decided by the judges since Cage Rage 23 in 2007.
The judges awarded Belfort a unanimous-decision win, with all three scoring the fight 29-28 for the 40-year-old.
Following the win, Belfort didn’t sound like he was going to hang up his gloves anytime soon, per MMA Fighting:
This was Belfort’s first win since November 2015 against Dan Henderson. Retired UFC fighter Patrick Cote thinks this would be the perfect way for Belfort to end his long and storied career:
Whatever Belfort decides to do, getting a hard-fought and emotional win over Marquardt in his native Brazil was exactly what he needed after a difficult two-year stretch in the sport.
Holloway made himself a star on this night, but the entire card made this a highlight of the year for UFC. There were 12 total fights, with nine endings via stoppage.
It was a thrilling showcase for the Brazilian fans, even though their hometown hero was unable to capture the undisputed featherweight title in the main event.
Max Holloway’s rise through the UFC featherweight ranks culminated with a TKO victory over Jose Aldo as he became the undisputed 145-pound champion at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
The UFC showed Holloway dropping Aldo in the third round:
And…
Max Holloway’s rise through the UFC featherweight ranks culminated with a TKO victory over Jose Aldo as he became the undisputed 145-pound champion at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
The UFC showed Holloway dropping Aldo in the third round:
And his satisfaction after earning the win:
When Holloway first arrived in UFC in 2012, he was learning the challenges of facing competition in the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world. The Hawaii native went 3-3 in his first six UFC fights.
After losing to Conor McGregor in August 2013, however, it all clicked into place for Holloway. He’s won each of his last 11 fights, including defeating Anthony Pettis at UFC 206 to win the UFC interim featherweight title.
Holloway has carried that chip on his shoulder from that brief early lull in his career to help him reach this point.
“I told people for years, but very few people actually listened,” Holloway told FloCombat’s Duane Finley. “Now I’m here and I have everyone’s attention. That’s how things go in this sport. Actions speak louder than words, and I’m going to let my fighting do the talking.”
Another reason Holloway may have gone through that brief hiccup is because of youth. He was signed to UFC at 20 years old, making his debut as an injury replacement for a matchup with Ricardo Lamas.
Now, Holloway is just 25 years old. He’s defeated Aldo—who has been one of the most dominant mixed martial arts fighters for the last decade with just one loss since 2006 prior to Saturday—and is the undisputed featherweight champion for the first time in his career.
In possibly the final fight of his UFC career, Vitor Belfort went out a winner with a unanimous-decision victory over Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 on Saturday in Brazil.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Belfort, a surprising res…
In possibly the final fight of his UFC career, Vitor Belfort went out a winner with a unanimous-decisionvictory over Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 on Saturday in Brazil.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Belfort, a surprising result simply because the match went the full 15 minutes.
Per USA Today‘s Mike Bohn, this marks Belfort’s first decision since 2007.
Twitter users shared their thoughts on Belfort’s win:
Belfort is one of the UFC’s longest-tenured fighters, as he made his debut with the promotion at UFC 12 in 1997. He bounced around other organizations, including Pride and Strikeforce, but always found his way back to the UFC.
It’s been a rough go for Belfort lately. The 40-year-old entered Saturday’s fight having lost three of his last five bouts, and Kelvin Gastelum knocked him out in a result that was later overturned to a no-contest due to Gastelum’s failing a post-fight drug test for marijuana in March.
Despite his age, and the wear and tear on his body, Belfort is not completely retiring from competition:
Per MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Belfort didn’t sound like he was ready to call it a career after his win:
There is nowhere else for Belfort to go in the UFC. He’s still enough of a star to keep fighting because of his history with the promotion, but his pool of potential opponents is small due to his recent failings.
Belfort is leaving an impressive legacy. The Brazilian star holds UFC records for most knockout wins in company history (12) and most first-round finishes in UFC history (13). He also won the light heavyweight title in 2004.
Heavyweight fighter Roy Nelson has reportedly reached a deal to compete in Bellator.
MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani first reported Nelson signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator, with an official announcement expected “in the coming days.”
ESPN’s B…
Heavyweight fighter Roy Nelson has reportedly reached a deal to compete in Bellator.
MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani first reported Nelson signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator, with an official announcement expected “in the coming days.”
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto confirmed Nelson’s signing, adding that his debut fight with the promotion is still to be determined.
The 40-year-old Nelson has been competing in UFC since 2009 when he was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter. He won the competition by knocking out Brendan Schaub in the first round and was awarded a Knockout of the Night bonus.
Nelson had a 9-10 record in UFC that includes seven losses in his last 10 matches. His most recent showing was a unanimous decision loss against Alexander Volkov at the April 15 UFC on Fox event.
In 36 career fights, Nelson has amassed a 22-14 record with 14 wins by (T)KO.
After a one-month break, Bellator made its return Friday from the SSE Arena in London, and Rory MacDonald made a successful debut with the promotion by defeating Paul Daley via submission in the main event.
It was a great sh…
After a one-month break, Bellator made its return Friday from the SSE Arena in London, and Rory MacDonald made a successful debut with the promotion by defeating Paul Daley via submission in the main event.
It was a great showcase for MacDonald, who made the Bellator 179 match look easy by methodically picking apart Daley in the first round before locking in a rear-naked choke early in the second round for the victory.
MacDonald was fighting for just the third time since 2015 and first time in 11 months. His last match came at UFC Fight Night 89, when Stephen Thompson defeated him by unanimous decision for a second straight defeat and his third in six matches.
One reason for the long gap between fights for MacDonald was because of issues with his nose. The 27-year-old broke it in consecutive fights against Robbie Lawler and Thompson, and after losing to Thompson, he acknowledged it was a problem.
“I broke it actually a couple times before this fight,” MacDonald told Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting. “I have no idea what to do. I gave it time’ it kept breaking. I don’t know if surgery is gonna be the best route. I really just have to take time. I’d probably at least look into surgery, see if that can make it stronger, because just time off didn’t do s–t.”
After defeating Daley on Friday, MacDonald said it’s been a long, slow climb to get back to the top of the mountain, via MMA Junkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu:
There was more good news for MacDonald following his victory, as Sandhu noted he will challenge the winner of June 24’s Douglas Lima vs. Lorenz Larkin matchup for the welterweight championship at Bellator 180.
MacDonald has not held a championship in any organization since winning the King of the Cage lightweight title in 2008. He made a strong impression in his Bellator debut and is one win away from capturing a title in the company.
Before the nose issues knocked MacDonald’s career off course, he looked like a budding star in UFC’s welterweight division. His fight with Lawler at UFC 189 was an instant classic that could have gone in either direction before Lawler was able to end it in the fifth round.
Now that MacDonald is healthy and able to train at full strength, he can show what he is capable of as a top star.
UFC President Dana White responded to accusations of bullying by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.