Miesha Tate is just a few days away from her women’s bantamweight title fight against current champion Holly Holm, which takes place in the UFC 196 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event on Sat., March 5, 2016 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in…
Miesha Tate is just a few days away from her women’s bantamweight title fight against current champion Holly Holm, which takes place in the UFC 196 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event on Sat., March 5, 2016 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
But that doesn’t mean she’s opposed to a rematch between Holm and Ronda Rousey later this year. Unfortunately for them, it won’t be for the division strap, because “Cupcake” will be leaving “Sin City” with the title in tow.
Tate talks to ESPN:
“I wanna see the rematch too, at some point, I think everybody does. As a fan of the sport myself, I would love to see that. When I go in there and win the belt on Saturday, that’s probably gonna throw a wrench in the mix, so they can either put the trilogy together between Ronda and myself, with me as the champion, or they can make a non-title bout between Holly and Ronda, whatever they prefer, but I just wanna go in there on March 5 and win the belt.”
Holm trashed Rousey at UFC 193 last November to claim the crown, but looked rather average in her two UFC fights that preceded it. I’m sure Tate is hoping that earlier version of “The Preacher’s Daughter” shows up this weekend. If not, this could get ugly.
For more on their upcoming title fight click here.
Free-agent heavyweight Matt Mitrione says he is planning on appealing his TKO loss to Travis Browne because of several referee errors. Current free-agent heavyweight Matt Mitrione is appealing his January loss to top contender Travis Browne …
Free-agent heavyweight Matt Mitrione says he is planning on appealing his TKO loss to Travis Browne because of several referee errors.
Current free-agent heavyweight Matt Mitrione is appealing his January loss to top contender Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 81 with the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission (MSAC) for numerous officiating errors in his latest contest.
Mitrione was accidentally poked in the eye on several occasions during his bout with Hapa. He believes Gary Forman made crucial mistakes as the referee by not penalizing Browne in some way — point deduction, disqualification, etc.
“My case is extremely strong, extremely valid,” Mitrione told MMAFighting.com. “And I know a lot of times people have cases when they appeal something and it’s a very valid position and nothing ever happens, it doesn’t get overturned. Well, that’s bullsh*t. A lot of that problem, I think, is because the commission takes a lot of pride in who they hire and they don’t feel like they can be accountable for those mistakes.
“People f-ck up. It happens. I don’t think the commission should take it on the chin like they apparently do and it shouldn’t be a shot at their ego.”
Ultimately because of the blatant eye-pokes and shots that may not have landed had he been able to see properly, Meat head suffered a broken orbital bone and a very visible (and scary) hematoma over his right eye.
According to Mitrione, during the second round of the fight with Browne, which Mitrione lost by third-round TKO due to ground-and-pound strikes, Forman warned him to avoid jumping into Browne’s fingers.
“He acknowledges the fact that he missed the foul, because he knew it was a finger that caused that poke, and warns Travis, but doesn’t stop the fight,” Mitrione said. … “The fact that it’s gonna stick on my record as a loss with no asterisk on it because I had the balls to carry forward versus just stopping — that’s madness.”
With the stoppage loss to Browne, Mitrione (9-5) has now lost two in-a-row, also including a surprising submission loss to Big Ben Rothwell. The two losses snapped a hot streak he was riding, which included impressive victories over Gabriel Gonzaga and Derrick Lewis.
The Browne matchup was the last bout on Mitrione’s current contract, and now Mitrione is officially a free-agent, looking for a new contract, whether that means with the UFC or another rival organization such as Bellator MMA. Thus far, the loss to Browne has affected Mitrione’s negotiating power.
“Travis should not get, in my opinion, the victory on that fight,” Mitrione said. “Travis didn’t win that fight. There were a substantial amount of errors in that fight and it shouldn’t have ever gotten to that point.”
Frankie Edgar has been in the headlines since turning down the short notice offer to fight Conor McGregor this Saturday, leading to him claiming that the “C” in “UFC” stands for “Conor.”
On Monday, “The Answer” appeared on The MMA Hour and spoke abo…
Frankie Edgar has been in the headlines since turning down the short notice offer to fight Conor McGregor this Saturday, leading to him claiming that the “C” in “UFC” stands for “Conor.”
On Monday, “The Answer” appeared on The MMA Hour and spoke about turning down the McGregor fight, as well as his belief that Diaz has a chance to “spoil the party” at UFC 196.
On the chances he feels Nate Diaz has against Conor McGregor:
“I don’t know, man, I think Nate could go in there and spoil the party, and then [McGregor] has to come back down to 145,” Edgar said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I think that’s best case scenario.
“I give him a real shot. His pressure and volume is just tough to deal with for anybody. You know, Conor’s biggest thing is range and length, and he doesn’t have it in this fight. A southpaw against southpaw, I think a lot could happen there.”
On his injury and reason he turned down the short notice McGregor fight:
“The first week, I was having a hard time sitting on the toilet,” Edgar explained. “But it got better and I like to stay doing something. I have to stay doing something because I’ll go crazy. I’m just doing what I can. Obviously I can’t roll, I can’t wrestle, I can’t spar. I can hit mitts a little bit and I’ve been lifting weights. I’m just doing what I can do to keep somewhat in shape.
“To be honest, I’m kind of surprised by how long this is keeping me out. Most of my injuries in the past have been overuse injuries, bulged disc, nerve pain. This is actually something that actually happened, where it popped. I thought I’d be well more ahead than where I am now, because again, I don’t like to be stagnant too long. So I thought I’d be back training a little more than I am, but you know, that’s the way that it goes.”
On the reaction to him turning down the fight due to injury:
“[The fight] was up at 155. I just thought RDA, he’s been looking great lately. Obviously we share the same manager, and from what I understood, everything was going great and I wasn’t really banking on me even getting a call,” Edgar said. “That’s kind of what pissed me off too, I’m sitting here recovering from injury and people are looking down at me because I didn’t take the fight on 10 days’ notice at a weight class I’m not even in, for not even the title. That’s kind of what got under my skin.”
On if he would have taken the fight if he was healthy:
“I mean, I was even enticed by the idea of taking it now,” Edgar admitted. “But luckily I didn’t, man. I’m in no shape to be fighting, or training, to be honest. But if I was healthy and even half-assed trained, for sure, I would’ve taken that fight.”
On what Diaz needs to do to get the win:
“I think he has to win this fight the same way he always does,” Edgar said. “Just, pressure. You’ve got to put pressure on Conor, and he’s got to take the kicks away as much as possible. Conor is definitely crafty. He has many different kicks, and [Diaz] has to put the pressure, get close enough to negate the kicks, and just be himself.”
By now, most of us have seen the highly controversial moment in this past weekend’s (February 27, 2016) UFC Fight Night 84 main event between Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping. Near the tail end of the third round, Bisping dropped his mouth piece, and quickly looked to referee Herb Dean for a stoppage in the
By now, most of us have seen the highly controversial moment in this past weekend’s (February 27, 2016) UFC Fight Night 84 main event between Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping.
Near the tail end of the third round, Bisping dropped his mouth piece, and quickly looked to referee Herb Dean for a stoppage in the action. Silva saw this as a wide open opportunity, and quickly pounced on his opponent.
After landing a few solid shots, “The Spider” unleashed a brutal flying knee that drilled Bisping flush on the chin, sending “The Count” crashing to the canvas as the bell rung.
Many, including Silva, felt as if the fight was over, but Dean elected to keep the fight going. Bisping would recover and end up winning a unanimous decision victory.
In the aftermath of the bout, outspoken, but currently suspended UFC welterweight and middleweight Nick Diaz took to twitter, sending out a meme regarding Bisping:
Apparently “The Count” has caught wind of Diaz’s comment. Bisping proceeded to send out a series of tweets firing back while also making it very clear that he’s open to fighting “The Stockton Bad Boy”:
Hey @nickdiaz209 see your talking shit. Don’t be bitter cos I beat somebody you couldn’t. Thought you were cooler than that. Obviously wrong
While Diaz is a huge name and a fan favorite, Bisping may be better off looking towards the top of the 185-pound division, as he may be dangerously close to his long-awaited title shot.
That being said, Bisping vs. Diaz would be a huge fight nonetheless.
The Stockton native is eligible to compete again as of August 1, 2016.
Would you like to see these two square off later this year?
Legendary WWE commentator Jim Ross has likened Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, who will face each other at UFC 196 this weekend, to professional wrestling icons Ric Flair and Roddy Piper.
The MMA stars have stoked up plenty of interest for their fight af…
Legendary WWE commentator Jim Ross has likened Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, who will face each other at UFC 196 this weekend, to professional wrestling icons Ric Flair and Roddy Piper.
The MMA stars have stoked up plenty of interest for their fight after a crazy press conference last week, in which both men traded insults. And Ross told MMAJunkie Radio (h/t Brent Brookhouse of MMA Junkie) the abrasive style of both men triggers memories of some of the great names in wrestling history:
Looking at old wrestling terms, they’re like (Ric) Flair and (Roddy) Piper. They’re both great talkers and they know what to say, when to say it and what to say to piss you off.
Diaz has done a good job of ruffling the feathers of every Irish person in the world. And he should, in a sensible way, obviously. That’s what they do.
I would say, in this fight is Diaz the heel or is he the babyface? Or does it matter? Because both guys are going to have their camps and I think there are going to be a lot of people who aren’t necessarily fans of both, but they are going to be interested in the process and it’s going to be a heck of a fight.
Diaz stepped in as a late replacement for Rafael dos Anjos, the lightweight champion, to face McGregor. The bout, initially scheduled to be for the Brazilian’s title, will be held at a welterweight limit, the first time the Irishman has ever fought in a division this heavy.
That hasn’t negated McGregor’s confidence pre-fight, though. Here is a look at some of the best moments from their press conference, which contains expletive language:
As is the case in any combat sport, being able to talk well and promote the fight is absolutely vital. In professional wrestling in particular, building hype, tension and getting the crowd involved is essential to creating a spectacle.
Flair and Piper were revered for such skills during their time in the ring. The former has enjoyed a career in the company that spans over 40 years and even to this day turns in entertaining cameo roles as a manager for his daughter, Charlotte, who is currently the WWE Divas champion.
“I believed Flair was doing everything he said he was,” said WWE star John Cena of Flair’s legendary ability on the mic, per the WWE website. “Hip hop has taken that high roller lifestyle and embraced it. He was doing it before the streets were.”
Piper, who sadly died in 2015, produced some exceptional moments with microphone in hand, especially on his on segment, known as “Piper’s Pit.” Here’s a classic moment, when Piper interviewed Jimmy Snuka in 1984:
McGregor and Diaz have their own unique styles, but their trash talk has helped build up substantial fanbases. The Irishman typically seems to ruffle the feathers of his opponents in the lead-up to fights, but Diaz, who usually responds to barbs with a profanity and a shrug of the shoulders, seemed unflappable in the press conference.
Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report thinks Diaz is a fighter who captures the imagination of fans with his persona:
While the withdrawal of Dos Anjos was initially met with widespread disappointment, Diaz stepping in as replacement has kept fans happy. McGregor would have made history had he beaten the Brazilian by becoming the first competitor to hold two UFC titles from different weight classes at the same time, but this bout with Diaz should be a brawl.
Like Flair and Piper, when McGregor and Diaz talk, it’s tough to tear yourself away. It’s just a shame we couldn’t see the pair go at each other for the full duration of a promotion, although the inevitable fireworks inside the Octagon on Saturday should make up for that.
Plus, Aldo says he and UFC officials have come to an agreement that he will get an immediate rematch against “Notorious.” Jose Aldo had an unexpected chance to get his much-desired rematch against Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016,…
Plus, Aldo says he and UFC officials have come to an agreement that he will get an immediate rematch against “Notorious.”
Jose Aldo had an unexpected chance to get his much-desired rematch against Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016, after Rafael dos Anjos bowed out of the event with an injury.
Unfortunately, “Junior” had to decline the offer because he wasn’t in shape and wouldn’t have enough time to properly train for a fight against the Featherweight champion.
During a recent interview on “The MMA Hour,” Aldo further explained his decision to decline the fight, saying that he needs proper time to train for such a pivotal bout. Because at the end of the day, he’s a professional fighting in a legit sport and not some desperate scrub.
“Any professional needs time to train,” Aldo said via MMA Fighting. “It’s not a cockfight where I go there and put my rooster to fight. It’s a high-level sport, I’m going there to do my job. When I have time to train, it can happen at any time, anywhere.”
McGregor initially knocked out Aldo in a mere 13 seconds at UFC 194 in Dec. 2015 (see it again here). Since that fateful night, Aldo has proclaimed that he would not return to be cage unless it was an immediate rematch against Irishman.
It’s a sentiment the Brazilian bomber still holds onto, one with which Aldo also says UFC officials seem to finally be on board.
“I can’t speak for others, and I don’t care what they say. I know I deserve an immediate rematch,” declared Aldo. “People who say I don’t, I don’t care about them. The important is what the UFC thinks and what we think. We came to the conclusion that we’re having an immediate rematch.”
If true, that’s going to make Frankie Edgar very upset.
In addition, Aldo said he isn’t keen on a potential rematch against Edgar to see who deserves next crack at the 145-pound strap, preferring to vie for the title at UFC 200.
“I want to fight at UFC 200,” Aldo said. “It’s a historical edition, a great event. I would like to be part of it.”
After both Aldo and Edgar were forced to decline the fight, Nate Diaz stepped up to face McGregor on 11 days notice in a Welterweight bout that will headline this weekend’s (March 5, 2016) pay-per-view (PPV) event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
