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Conor McGregor has gone after pretty much everyone lately, so why not Loma too?

Vasyl Lomachenko is probably the best boxer in the world today. The two-time Olympic gold medalist went 396-1 as an amateur, and has already won titles in three weight classes as a pro in just 15 fights. His handspeed, footwork, and overall game are a beauty to behold to everyone.

Well, unless you’re Conor McGregor.

Conor is doing a promotional tour in Eastern Europe, and happened to stop in Ukraine a few days ago. Unsurprisingly, he was asked about Ukraine’s most famous athlete in Loma. While McGregor was very complimentary of his boxing skills, he doesn’t believe that makes him a great overall fighter though:

“He’s a phenomenal, phenomenal boxer. He’s the pound-for-pound No. 1 boxer on the planet. For me, you must compete in mixed martial arts. You’re just lying to yourself if you stay in one discipline. It’s not a complete fight. You’ve got to compete in mixed martial arts. I would like to see him compete in mixed martial arts competition. I know he has some words about me or whatever.”

These two have chirped at each other on and off on social media for years, so this isn’t a really surprising thing for him to say. If fact, Loma even said it himself to Conor back in 2017:

It’d never happen. And Loma is too small to fight Conor either way. But man, that would make some money.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“There’s only one Bad Mother F*cker in this game and he is the weight jumping, sport crossing, country invading, whiskey drinking Irish animal typing this tweet right now.”

Conor McGregor is loving the latest bombshell news surrounding Nate Diaz’ unexpected withdrawal from UFC 244.

Diaz, who was expected to take on Jorge Masvidal for the ‘BMF’ title at Madison Square Garden, revealed earlier this week that he had tested positive for ‘elevated levels’.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the UFC later confirmed that the Stockton local had tested positive for “trace amounts of a prohibited selective androgen receptor module (SARM),” a performance-enhancing substance that has been banned by WADA since 2008.

With Diaz’ headlining bout against Masvidal now in serious jeopardy, ‘The Notorious’ sent — and later deleted — a Tweet in which he claimed to be the real ‘baddest motherf-cker’ in the UFC.

“There’s only one Bad Mother F*cker in this game and he is the weight jumping, sport crossing, country invading, whiskey drinking Irish animal typing this tweet right now,” McGregor posted (h/t Abhinav Kini of The Body Lock MMA). “Right here from his presidential suite at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Moscow. See you all soon.”

McGregor then followed up by naming Diaz’ teammates, Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields, who also tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs earlier in their careers, as well as implying that Khabib Nurmagomedov is a drug cheat.

Gil. Jake. Nate

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 24, 2019

Zubaira. Islam. Khabib

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 24, 2019

Given that Diaz only tested positive for trace amounts of SARM, the MMA veteran has been cleared to fight at UFC 244. Although this is good news, the former UFC lightweight title challenger has refused to fight until the UFC and USADA fix this issue and clear his name of any wrongdoing.

“So until UFC, USADA or whoever is F—KING with me fixes it, I won’t be competing. I’m not gonna play their game and try and hit it or keep quiet, as they suggested. I’m not going to have my name tainted as a cheater like these other motherfuckers who keep quiet until after the fight so they can get paid. F—k*n cheaters.

“I don’t give a f—k about some money over my dignity and my legacy.” Nate Diaz stated. “I’m not staying quiet and figuring it out after the fight. That’s cheating. So fight game, I’ll see you when I see you. The realest baddest mother f—ker in the game.”

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hits Kallang, Singapore this Saturday (Oct. 26) for some early-morning mixed martial arts (MMA) action.

The main event, which the promotion’s commentators have repetitively but accurately described as a “grappler’s delight,” wrestling ace Ben Askren attempts to rebound from his viral loss to Jorge Masvidal against Demian Maia, who’s reclaimed his place among Welterweight contenders with two consecutive victories.

Down at Lightweight, Michael Johnson returns to his proper weight class to face Stevie Ray and Beneil Dariush looks to make it three straight against avid brawler Frank Camacho.

Our usual main card guy watched Crazy Rich Asians and is now in a food coma due to Singaporean street eats, so I’m up to bat once again. As always, Prelims here and here, advice on how to lose yourself to the sin of gambling here.

Let’s rock.

170 lbs.: Demian Maia (27-9) vs. “Funky” Ben Askren (19-1)

Maia had a three-fight stretch from 2017-2018 where the UFC pitted him against the most physically imposing wrestlers in the division one after another. It didn’t end well for him or the viewing public.

Two things make this matchup appealing despite the track record: for one, Askren’s been forthright about his willingness to engage Maia on the ground, and while I’d brush that off as misdirection from anyone else, the “Funky” one doesn’t really do Askren is a fundamentally different wrestler than just about anyone in the sport. His movement-heavy, almost improvisational top control leaves openings that a submission ace of Maia’s pedigree could conceivably exploit. It’ll be an active ground fight, if nothing else, and that alone provides infinitely more intrigue than Tyron Woodley or Colby Covington playing keep-away for 25 minutes.

I honestly think it’ll come down to cardio. It’s not that Maia doesn’t work hard or keep himself in shape; it’s that he relies on expending a lot of energy to get takedowns and then recuperating while maintaining a dominant position. There’s no such thing as a rest period when dealing with Askren on the mat, though, and unless Maia can find Askren’s neck within the first two rounds, he’s going to be feeling those nearly 42 years. Askren worms his way through a few rough spots to put Maia through the wringer.

Prediction: Askren via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: Michael Johnson (19-14) vs. Stevie Ray (22-9)

Michael Johnson’s many issues never included being too small, so I’m glad he’s finally back in his proper weight class. Maybe now he can devote his time to fixing his real problems, like his inability to fight off of his back and his tendency to crumble in the face of adversity.

Then again, he’s had almost nine years in the Octagon to do that, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Luckily for him, Ray doesn’t figure to drag him out of his comfort zone. The Scottish bruiser has some submission chops and a bit of wrestling in his pocket should the need arise, but he’s generally content to trade hands, a losing proposition against the quicker and heavier-hitting Johnson. To make matters worse for Ray, he’s not particularly focused on pressure, which has historically been the means to trip Johnson up on the feet.

There is a bit of an X-factor, though, in that both men are coming off of brutal one-punch knockout losses. There’s every chance that we wind up with a slow dance between gunshy strikers, which would be a real bummer in a main card that’s shaping up to feature heaps of action. I’m going to err on the side of optimism and say these guys slug it out until Johnson catches him flush.

Prediction: Johnson via first-round technical knockout

155 lbs.: Beneil Dariush (16-4-1) vs. Frank “The Crank” Camacho (22-7)

Frank Camacho is a cool dude and an utter delight to watch. What he isn’t is an elite fighter, and even if Beneil Dariush’s chin issues also keep him from reaching that distinction, he’s a damn sight closer than “The Crank.”

Despite his strong jiu-jitsu pedigree, Camacho can only really excel in fights when opponents oblige him in a brawl. Li Jingliang and Geoff Neal both found a lot of success chewing him up from the outside, and besides having the cleaner boxing technique by a fair margin, Dariush also has some powerful low kicks that could recreate Li’s knee-buckling efforts and defuse Camacho’s knockout threat in minutes.

Camacho doesn’t even have the option of falling back on his grappling, as Dariush is by far the stronger wrestler.

None of this is to say that Camacho doesn’t have a chance; for all his skill, Dariush really doesn’t take punches well, and the way he gassed himself out trying to finish another tough guy in Evan Dunham suggests that “The Crank” could conceivably win a war of attrition. Dariush has fought smart in recent efforts, though, and I expect him to do the same here. Hard leg kicks, crisp punching, and regular takedowns earn the Kings MMA product a wide victory.

Prediction: Dariush by unanimous decision

265 lbs.: Cyril “Bon Gamin” Gane (4-0) vs. Don’Tale “Kong” Mayes (7-2)

The fact that the UFC is making Mayes, a three-time Contender Series veteran, debut against the best Heavyweight prospect in the sport suggests to me that they don’t have high hopes for his future. I can’t say I disagree, honestly; he’s a big dude with good power who’s made visible improvements from fight to fight, but you can’t throw a rock without hitting a UFC Heavyweight who fits that description.

Gane, on the other hand, is something else. His movement, striking technique, and gas tank all leave Mayes’ in the dust; I’m confident enough in what I’ve seen to say that he could hold his own on the feet against the vast majority of the Heavyweight roster, “Kong” absolutely included. Mayes is just too slow and wide with his shots to deal with a striker of this caliber, and there doesn’t seem to be a plausible path to victory for him against “Bon Gamin” besides the cliche “puncher’s chance.”

I said before Gane’s UFC debut that he was something special, and though he’ll have to take out a greater challenger than Mayes to fully prove it, this is a nice start. He picks Mayes off at range before putting him away with any of the eight limbs he chooses.

Prediction: Gane via first-round technical knockout

170 lbs. Muslim “The King of Kung Fu” Salikhov (15-2) vs. Laureano “Pepi” Staropoli (9-1)

If the UFC wanted to build Staropoli up, this isn’t the way to go about it. There’s a world of difference between out-brawling Hector Aldana and the current iteration of Thiago Alves and facing one of the most decorated kickboxers in the division. Salikhov is a genuine monster on the feet, one I badly underestimated ahead of his recent knockout of Nordine Taleb. Without a stout wrestling game to throw the Dagestani off, few UFC Welterweights can match him in his area of expertise.

All Staropoli has going for him here are youth and a tiny bit of size; it’s possible, however unlikely, that he could claim a decision by outworking Salikhov. I just don’t see him surviving enough of Salikhov’s hyper-accurate shots to do so. Salikhov doesn’t need a big opening to thread in a knockout punch or spinning kick, and Staropoli certainly leaves enough of them.

Unless Staropoli can find a D-1 All-American wrestler to disguise himself as the Argentinian and fight in his place, this is going to be a very short and very unpleasant morning. He gets a few minutes of success through volume until Salikhov gets the range down and shuts his lights off with something ridiculous.

Prediction: Salikhov via first-round knockout

MMAmania.com will offer LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 162 event this Saturday (click here), starting with the ESPN “Prelims” at 5 a.m. ET and continuing on with the 8 a.m. ET ESPN+ main card.

To see more on UFC Fight Night 162: “Maia vs. Askren” and all things MMA on ESPN+, check out our comprehensive event archive right here.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“Gaethje is a horrible fight for anyone in this division. If I’m Conor I’m going for Poirier or Cowboy.”

Conor McGregor claims to be making a UFC comeback in January, but against whom?

Former UFC welterweight title challenger turned commentator and analyst Dan Hardy believes McGregor should return to the cage against a familiar foe, citing Dustin Poirier as the best possible matchup for ‘The Notorious’ at this time. As a second option, Hardy wouldn’t mind seeing McGregor lock horns with UFC fan favorite Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, but Justin Gaethje might have something to say about that.

Gaethje KO’d Cerrone in the first round of the UFC Fight Night 158 main event last month, and Hardy believes the former WSOF lightweight champ would be a horrible matchup for McGregor. In fact, Gaethje is a horrible matchup for just about anyone on the UFC roster, according to ‘The Outlaw’.

“If Conor is coming back to fight there are a couple of fights that make sense,” Hardy told Metro.co.uk in a recent interview. “The Poirier fight is the one that makes sense to me, that’s the top of my list. Conor has a win over Poirier at featherweight. I also don’t feel Poirier was the best version of himself at featherweight. I feel he’s a better fighter at lightweight.

“Conor getting another win over Poirier at lightweight is impressive and would line him up as No.1 contender, if not a title shot. Cowboy is another good win floating around because you can validate any fighter with a win over Cowboy. Conor’s been out for a while so Cowboy might be a good reintroduction to the division.

“Gaethje is a horrible fight for anyone in this division. If I’m Conor I’m going for Poirier or Cowboy,” Hardy continued. “I don’t mind the Gaethje fight. I just think that’s a more risky fight for Conor to take. Gaethje is a different animal since his last couple of losses. He’s picking his shots and not taking as much risks. He’s got a great wrestling game too. Conor will feel more comfortable up against Poirier’s wrestling as he would be against Gaethje’s. Gaethje is a much riskier fight for Conor than anybody else, including Khabib. I feel he’s got a good read on Khabib now so he’ll have a better chance of beating Khabib than Gaethje.”

While McGregor is adamant about returning to the Octagon on Jan. 18, UFC president Dana White says he isn’t even close to signing a deal with the former two-division champion.

“Yes, we are targeting that date for Conor’s return but no deals are even close to being signed.”