“It was just people running away with their own inferences and interpretations of what may have happened, it’s all bullshit.” When reigning UFC lightweight kingpin Rafael dos Anjos was felled by injury and unable to defend his title at UFC 1…
“It was just people running away with their own inferences and interpretations of what may have happened, it’s all bullshit.”
When reigning UFC lightweight kingpin Rafael dos Anjos was felled by injury and unable to defend his title at UFC 196, his opponent, newly-crowned 145-pound champion Conor McGregor, asked the promotion to bring Nate Diaz into the main event.
As a welterweight.
Why “Notorious” opted to compete two divisions above the weight class he currently rules is unknown, but the prevailing wisdom suggests there was no reason to cut weight without a title on the line. But not everyone was on board with that theory and think other substances factors were at play.
And now we’re back for the rematch, which will also be held at 170 pounds (even with a full camp), simply because McGregor wants to prove he can, in fact, defeat Diaz as a welterweight. But had the organization pushed a little harder for a 155-pound showdown, “Notorious” would have played ball.
“At the eleventh hour, before we signed the bout agreement, [McGregor] said, ‘Look, I’m hearing everybody. If everybody wants to do 155, fine. Let’s do 155. The contract was already written at 170. And so, in Conor’s defense, he really didn’t give two shits. He really wanted it at 170, because he wanted to prove he could beat him there. Conor is his own CEO, but intelligently he listens to the people around him and then makes his own final decision. He was trying to accommodate and listen to everybody and be a team player to make this happen. For him, that loss in itself, because of how he was performing until it went the other way is yet again fueled by his own self-belief system, confidence and desire to want to continue to push the envelope with his athletic ability and his skills, no matter who is in front of him. It happens to be the guy who beat him. He wants to put the same canvas up and paint a different picture for the audience to watch. And that’s what it’s all about, really.”
Their bout was recently finalized for 170 pounds.
In fact, “Diaz vs. McGregor 2” will headline the promotion’s upcoming UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., July 9, 2016. An impressive feat, when you consider the line up also boasts two title fights on the main card.
See the latest and greatest UFC 200 fight card and rumors right here.
Conor McGregor’s manager, Audie Attar, says that the Irishman watched his loss to Nate Diaz around 20 times – and that was before the post-fight press conference. ‘Obsessed’ has been the word of the month for UFC featherweight champion Conor…
Conor McGregor’s manager, Audie Attar, says that the Irishman watched his loss to Nate Diaz around 20 times – and that was before the post-fight press conference.
McGregor, who was originally supposed to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title in the main event, accepted a welterweight fight with Diaz after dos Anjos pulled out of the bout with a broken foot. Brimming with confidence, the Irishman started off strong against the younger Diaz brother, bloodying his face up with a series of left hands. The tides soon turned, however, when Diaz landed a swift 1-2 combination midway through the second round. After continued success with his combinations, the Stockton product eventually secured a rear-naked choke following a desperate take down attempt from an exhausted McGregor.
It marked the first loss of McGregor’s career and, according to his manager Audie Attar, the 27-year-old rewatched the fight around 20 times in the locker room. “Obsessed,” Attar said. “Obsessed with it,” per Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting.
McGregor’s obsession is what led to an immediate rematch at the blockbuster UFC 200 pay-per-view in July. The SBG Ireland product was expected to return to featherweight to defend his title against Frankie Edgar, but the UFC confirmed the 170-pound rematch last month.
Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz II will headline the event, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9th.
The pound-for-pound #1 believes that the hit-and-run incident last year was meant to happen so that he could grow as a human being. It’s almost been a full year since Jon Jones collided with another vehicle and fled the scene in a traffic ac…
The pound-for-pound #1 believes that the hit-and-run incident last year was meant to happen so that he could grow as a human being.
It’s almost been a full year since Jon Jones collided with another vehicle and fled the scene in a traffic accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 28-year-old broke a pregnant woman’s arm in the collision and has conducted 72 community talks to high school children since pleading guilty in September.
Although the hit-and-run was one of the lowest points of his life, “Bones” believes it was meant to happen so that he could mature as a human being.
The former light heavyweight champion, who was stripped of the title for his behaviour last year, recently spoke to Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone and opened up on God and life.
“This may sound weird, but I believe that God meant for what happened to happen,” Jones said.. “I know a lot of people may twist this or look at it like, ‘Why would God put this girl in a car accident with you? That’s a selfish way of thinking.’ But since that happened, so much good has happened in a lot of people’s lives. I’ve been able to reach thousands of kids.
“I’ve told my story 72 times to completely different groups, to complete strangers. There’s something really freeing about being so real, open and candid with complete strangers and letting them judge you,” he continues. “It’s helped me know who I am. It’s helped me acknowledge the piece-of-shit qualities I had. Truth of the matter, I had some piece-of-shit ways. Still do have some. But at the same time, I have some really great qualities as well.”
The Rochester-born mixed martial artist was accused of drag racing by officer Jason Brown in March and was served with four more infractions. Jones lashed out and called Brown a “f-cking liar and a “pig”, and is expected to challenge the charges in court.
The former champ will take on late-replacement Ovince Saint Preux for the interim title at UFC 197 after Daniel Cormier pulled out of the bout citing a leg injury. The pay-per-view, which will also feature a flyweight championship tilt between Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo, will take place on April 23rd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gabriel Gonzaga and Derrick Lewis will battle this Sunday (April 10, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 86 inside Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. In a match up of veteran and up-and-comer, what adjustments must be made for either man to claim victory…
Gabriel Gonzaga and Derrick Lewis will battle this Sunday (April 10, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 86 inside Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. In a match up of veteran and up-and-comer, what adjustments must be made for either man to claim victory? Find out below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga and Derrick Lewis will scrap this Sunday (April 10, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 86 inside Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia.
Without mincing words, Gonzaga needs a strong performance. His last fight was one of the worst in UFC history, and it barely saved him from losing four straight. This is a must-win for the long-time veteran, as he’ll likely be released with a loss.
On the other hand, the terrifyingly powerful “Black Beast” has been making waves. He’s won three of his last four fights and has finished each of his victories, and he’s been improving throughout his UFC career.
Let’s take a look at the keys to victory for both men:
Gabriel Gonzaga Record: 17-10 Key Wins: Mirko Filipovic (UFC 70), Shawn Jordan (UFC 166), Ben Rothwell (UFC on FX 8) Key Losses: Travis Browne (TUF 17 Finale), Stipe Miocic (UFC on FOX 10), Matt Mitrione (UFC on FOX 13) Keys to Victory: Gonzaga is a large, powerful Heavyweight with knockout ability in his punches and kicks. However, his background lies with his jiu-jitsu black belt, which has allowed “Napao” to submit eight of his prior opponents.
In this bout, Gonzaga needs to return to his grappling roots.
For all of his success, Derrick Lewis is not the most technical fighter. He’s still rather raw on his feet, and it’s definitely possible to take him down. If Gonzaga keeps his hands high and looks for an opportunity to shoot, he should be able to time his double leg successfully.
That said, if Gonzaga is having difficult getting in on his opponent’s hips, he cannot try to force the shot. Lewis has a habit of reversing opponents who do that, and Lewis is an absolute mauler from top position.
If he is unable to drag the fight to the mat on his terms, Gonzaga should look to counter strike. Lewis throws wide and — as displayed in his victory over Shawn Jordan — Gonzaga does have the technique and experience to capitalize on those openings.
VS.
Derrick Lewis Record: 14-4 (1) Key Wins: Viktor Pesta (UFC 192), Damien Grabowski (UFC Fight Night 82) Key Losses: Shawn Jordan (UFC Fight Night 68), Matt Mitrione (UFC Fight Night 50) Keys to Victory: Lewis is a massive Heavyweight with crushing power. Perhaps most importantly, Lewis carries his power deep into the fight, allowing him to score late finishes as his opponent slows down.
This is an interesting challenge for Lewis. His opponent is likely the more technical striker and definitely the far superior grappler, yet it seems like a foregone conclusion to many that Lewis is going to smash Gonzaga’s head like Gallagher taking on a watermelon.
This tends to happen when one fighter is seen as on the rise, whereas the other seems to be on his way out. Regardless, the safest approach for Lewis would be to drag this fight out a bit. Gonzaga’s cardio is historically horrendous, as he fades awfully fast after the first round.
To take advantage of this flaw, Lewis should force a dirty boxing battle early. At that distance, Lewis’ physical prowess will keep him relatively safe from takedowns, and it will also allow him to land the better shots in close. Furthermore, that type of fighting is exhaustive, which will cause Gonzaga to slow down quickly.
Leaving him a waiting target for Lewis’ powerful punches.
Bottom Line: Lewis is on the verge of becoming a pretty big deal at Heavyweight, and Gonzaga is a reasonably tough task for him.
This fight is Gonzaga’s chance to prove that he’s not at the end of his road. As mentioned, he is the more technical and experienced fighter. However, if his chin fails him and he’s on the receiving end of another knockout, UFC is unlikely to keep him around much longer.
With a win, however, Gonzaga’s position is reasonably safe. His last fight may have been beyond terrible, but he’d still be on a two-fight win streak.
Lewis has a fair amount of hype behind him, but the problem is that he hasn’t really beaten anyone of note. His last two wins were over decent prospects to be sure, but he has yet to beat any of the division’s more proven fighters. He can change that with a victory over Gonzaga, which would surely jump him up the rankings a bit.
On the other hand, a loss would be pretty damning. If Lewis loses his third opportunity to step up in competition out of three, it may mean that his ceiling is lower than many hope.
At UFC Fight Night 86, Gabriel Gonzaga and Derrick Lewis will collide in the co-main event. Which fighter will have his hand raised?
Former title challenger Cat Zingano has her long-awaited return to the Octagon scheduled. The No. 3-ranked ‘Alpha,’ who was last seen losing a 14-second title bout to Ronda Rousey at UFC 184 in February 2015, will meet surging No. 4 Julianna Pena at July 9’s stacked UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the new T-Mobile Arena in
Former title challenger Cat Zingano has her long-awaited return to the Octagon scheduled.
The No. 3-ranked ‘Alpha,’ who was last seen losing a 14-second title bout to Ronda Rousey at UFC 184 in February 2015, will meet surging No. 4 Julianna Pena at July 9’s stacked UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Zingano earned No. 1 contender status in her first-ever UFC fight, finishing current champion Miesha Tate in the third round a gritty come-from-behind win at 2013’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Finale. She was unable to serve as coach opposite Ronda Rousey on TUF 18 due to an injured knee, however, and Tate took her place. She returned to the Octagon at UFC 178 in September 2014, topping current title challenger Amanda Nunes via TKO.
The win earned her the title shot at Rousey. Fans have been awaiting her next fight ever since.
Pena, on the other hand, exploded on the UFC scene as the winner of the female contract on TUF 18, but she too dealt with a very serious knee injury that kept her out of action for over a year before she returned to defeat Milana Dudieva in 2015. She then beat Jessica Eye at UFC 192 to solidify her place among the top female bantamweights in MMA.
Zingano teased an ‘epic return’ and many thought hse was referring to a bout with Cris ‘Cyborg’ or Holly Holm, but if she can get past ‘The Venezuelan Vixen,’ she’ll no doubt be dangerously close to the title shot she wants for redemption.
Yet another high profile fight has been added to the UFC 200 card, this time in the women’s bantamweight division. The UFC women’s bantamweight division has undergone a major shakeup in the last year, and another bout on the UFC 200 card loo…
Yet another high profile fight has been added to the UFC 200 card, this time in the women’s bantamweight division.
The UFC women’s bantamweight division has undergone a major shakeup in the last year, and another bout on the UFC 200 card looks to strengthen the position of a potential contender for the 135-pound title. With a title fight between Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes already added, the UFC has added a bout between the returning Cat Zingano and TUF winner Julianna Pena as well.
Zingano (9-1, 2-1 UFC) holds victories over both ladies fighting in the title fight, but hasn’t competed since a quick submission loss to then-champion Ronda Rousey in Febraury 2015.
Pena (7-2, 3-0 UFC) the winner of TUF 18, returned from a long injury layoff last April and has picked up two wins in a row, the most recent coming over Jessica Eye by decision in October.
With the insane depth of this card, you’d have to assume this bout will take place on the preliminary portion of the broadcast. The headliner of the July 9th card will be a rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. There are also two title fights set for the event, including Tate/Nunes.
