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CM Punk Comments on UFC Debut, Back Injury and Delivers Message to His Haters

Phil “CM Punk” Brooks has advised his doubters to prepare for a “f–king fun and awesome” debut when he makes his UFC bow later this year. 
The former WWE star’s first UFC fight has been put on hold because of injury …

Phil “CM Punk” Brooks has advised his doubters to prepare for a “f–king fun and awesome” debut when he makes his UFC bow later this year. 

The former WWE star’s first UFC fight has been put on hold because of injury problems, the most recent setback coming after he underwent back surgery in February, per MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. But speaking to Helwani on The MMA Hour, Punk had a message to those who doubt he’ll ever step foot in the cage, per Adam Guillen Jr. of Bloody Elbow:

I am going to fight, it’s going to be this year. I see the doctor tomorrow and I am going to talk to him to see about other extracurricular activities I can do to kind of speed this along. See if I can do acupuncture again, things like that. …

Don’t worry haters, I’m going to fight and it’s going to be f–king fun and awesome and you are going to be real upset. I just don’t want to say anything because I have learned my lesson. I have optimistic goals and we are just going to see if my back can cooperate with that.

Listen to Punk’s interview in full, after 1 hour, eight minutes and 30 seconds. *Warning, expletive language used throughout*:

While not putting an exact timeline on when he will make his UFC debut, Punk revealed he wants a date at Madison Square Garden to be his second bout. 

“In my mind, that card at the (Madison Square) Garden would be a nice second fight,” the 37-year old conceded. “But, I don’t know how realistic that is because, again, I don’t want to say things people are going to take to heart. And it’s always the people that say they don’t want to watch me fight. It’s very strange.”

After mixed martial arts was made legal in the state of New York, the promotion is reportedly planning a show for November or December at the iconic sporting venue, according to MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi.

For Punk to have his second fight at what would be an historic show, he’d have to make his debut pretty quickly. As reported by Guillen Jr. the former professional wrestler seemed set to fight Mickey Gall in his first foray into the Octagon.

As Chamatkar Sandu of MMA Junkie noted, the UFC is confident enough of Punk appearing in the promotion that it included him in the most recent edition of its video game:

The 37-year-old made his name in professional wrestling, where he was a seven-time world champion. In the WWE, one of Punk’s title reigns spanned 434 days, the longest of the modern era. He was a popular figure with fans.

In December 2014 Punk revealed he had agreed a multi-fight contract with the UFC, with his debut anticipated for 2015. However, the succession of injury problems have prevented him from showing what he’s capable of in MMA, casting doubts over whether or not we’ll ever see him in action inside the Octagon.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White: Leslie Smith ‘only one who wanted’ the Cyborg fight, ‘begged for it’

Some fans are complaining about the Cyborg vs. Smith matchup, saying UFC matchmakers want a showcase performance for the Brazilian, but Dana White claims Smith was the only one who accepted the fight.

After the UFC announced that Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino will be making her long-awaited promotional debut later this year at UFC 198 against Leslie Smith, most of the reactions were positive, but some were critical of Cyborg’s first Octagon opponent, believing UFC officials simply want a showcase fight for the Brazilian in her hometown.

UFC President Dana White claims that is not necessarily the case — in a response to a fan on Twitter, White said that Smith was the only one who agreed to fight Cyborg.

@xSAVExHARLEYx she is the only one that wanted to fight Cyborg. Leslie begged for it. #respect @LeslieSmith_GF

— Dana White (@danawhite) March 28, 2016

Whatever the case may be, we are in for a slug-fest or an early knockout when Cyborg vs. Smith takes place in May. It should also be noted the fight will take place at a catchweight of 140-pounds.

Cyborg (15-1, 1 NC) is the current Invicta FC featherweight champion and has defended it twice since returning after a lengthy layoff last year with knockouts over Charmaine Tweet, Daria Ibragimova and Faith Van Duin. All but two of her wins have come by way of TKO/KO.

After Smith’s (8-6-1) ear nearly exploded during her UFC 180 matchup with Jessica Eye causing an injury TKO loss for her, she was sidelined until earlier this month when she returned against Rin Nakai and picked up a unanimous decision nod.

UFC 198 takes place live from Arena Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba, Brazil on May 14. In the main event, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum defends his title against top contender Stipe Miocic.

Some fans are complaining about the Cyborg vs. Smith matchup, saying UFC matchmakers want a showcase performance for the Brazilian, but Dana White claims Smith was the only one who accepted the fight.

After the UFC announced that Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino will be making her long-awaited promotional debut later this year at UFC 198 against Leslie Smith, most of the reactions were positive, but some were critical of Cyborg’s first Octagon opponent, believing UFC officials simply want a showcase fight for the Brazilian in her hometown.

UFC President Dana White claims that is not necessarily the case — in a response to a fan on Twitter, White said that Smith was the only one who agreed to fight Cyborg.

Whatever the case may be, we are in for a slug-fest or an early knockout when Cyborg vs. Smith takes place in May. It should also be noted the fight will take place at a catchweight of 140-pounds.

Cyborg (15-1, 1 NC) is the current Invicta FC featherweight champion and has defended it twice since returning after a lengthy layoff last year with knockouts over Charmaine Tweet, Daria Ibragimova and Faith Van Duin. All but two of her wins have come by way of TKO/KO.

After Smith’s (8-6-1) ear nearly exploded during her UFC 180 matchup with Jessica Eye causing an injury TKO loss for her, she was sidelined until earlier this month when she returned against Rin Nakai and picked up a unanimous decision nod.

UFC 198 takes place live from Arena Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba, Brazil on May 14. In the main event, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum defends his title against top contender Stipe Miocic.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk interested in fighting at flyweight, vows to ‘hold two belts’

The UFC’s reigning women’s strawweight champion is interested in competing at 125 lbs, so that she can hold two titles at once.

UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has a rematch booked with her rival, Claudia Gadelha, for later this year, but she’s looking onward and already discussing the possibility of fighting at 125 pounds and becoming a two-division UFC champion.

The UFC doesn’t currently have an active women’s flyweight division but UFC President Dana White confirmed last year it will be the next division to be added to the organization’s roster.

“There’s not going to be a division for awhile, but the next division when there is one will be 125,” White said at the UFC 193 Q&A event last November. “So I’ll have a 115, 125 and 135.”

“I hope that we gonna have 125-pound division in the future, and I’m gonna become the first female fighter [to] hold two belts,” Jedrzejczyk told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “[It’d be] probably better. I cut lots of weight. It isn’t nice but it’s part of my job and I can make it very easy. But of course, it could be [easier], more interesting to fight at 125 pounds.”

Only two fighters in UFC history have been champions in two divisions (at different times) — Randy Couture at heavyweight and light heavyweight, and B.J. Penn at lightweight and welterweight. Penn also attempted to become the first fighter to hold two championships at the same time when he fought then-welterweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre in a super-fight, but ultimately came up short.

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was scheduled to attempt the same thing earlier this month in a lightweight title fight with Rafael dos Anjos, but less than two weeks prior to UFC 196, the Brazilian pulled out due to a foot injury.

Jedrzejczyk defends her title for the third time in a highly anticipated rematch with Gadelha live from Las Vegas on July 8 — the day before the landmark event, UFC 200.

The UFC’s reigning women’s strawweight champion is interested in competing at 125 lbs, so that she can hold two titles at once.

UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has a rematch booked with her rival, Claudia Gadelha, for later this year, but she’s looking onward and already discussing the possibility of fighting at 125 pounds and becoming a two-division UFC champion.

The UFC doesn’t currently have an active women’s flyweight division but UFC President Dana White confirmed last year it will be the next division to be added to the organization’s roster.

“There’s not going to be a division for awhile, but the next division when there is one will be 125,” White said at the UFC 193 Q&A event last November. “So I’ll have a 115, 125 and 135.”

“I hope that we gonna have 125-pound division in the future, and I’m gonna become the first female fighter [to] hold two belts,” Jedrzejczyk told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “[It’d be] probably better. I cut lots of weight. It isn’t nice but it’s part of my job and I can make it very easy. But of course, it could be [easier], more interesting to fight at 125 pounds.”

Only two fighters in UFC history have been champions in two divisions (at different times) — Randy Couture at heavyweight and light heavyweight, and B.J. Penn at lightweight and welterweight. Penn also attempted to become the first fighter to hold two championships at the same time when he fought then-welterweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre in a super-fight, but ultimately came up short.

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was scheduled to attempt the same thing earlier this month in a lightweight title fight with Rafael dos Anjos, but less than two weeks prior to UFC 196, the Brazilian pulled out due to a foot injury.

Jedrzejczyk defends her title for the third time in a highly anticipated rematch with Gadelha live from Las Vegas on July 8 — the day before the landmark event, UFC 200.

Combate Americas announces weekly MMA telecast starting April 18 on NBC Universo

NEW YORK – March 28, 2015 – Combate Americas, the first-ever U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise founded by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-creator Campbell McLaren, today announced the return of its epic, action-packed “Road To the Championship” fight series to NBC UNIVERSO, the modern entertainment and sports cable channel for Latinos, with a weekly, one-hour program, beginning Monday, April 18, at 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, from Los Angeles, Calif.

A total of 30 bouts featuring the most fearsome, emerging Hispanic MMA fighters, including Imagen Award-winning Combate Americas reality series contestant and professional boxer Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (5-1 MMA, 2-0-1 boxing), Urijah Faber protégé Erick Sanchez (6-2), John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (9-2) and women’s atomweight standout and Eddie Bravo pupil Kyra “Mogwai” Batara (4-3), will unfold over the course of a 30-day period.

“We are thrilled to be featured in a new, weekly slot that will allow us to continuously showcase the best and most exciting young Hispanic fighters and future world champions” said McLaren.

“Since we launched our franchise,” continued McLaren, “NBC Universo has played an instrumental part in helping Combate Americas engage a national Hispanic audience, so we look forward to returning to their incredible platform, and entertaining and inspiring new and existing MMA fans throughout the U.S.

“Combate Americas is a great place for fighters of Latin backgrounds to shine in front of martial arts fans”, said Bilai Joa Silar, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production at NBC Universo. “It’s very exciting to have another season of Combate Americas on NBC Universo. We’re sure our audience will be thrilled with each fight scheduled since they will all feature top notch fighters.”

Additional participating fighters and matchups will be announced soon, as will the Los Angeles location for the kick-off event and host venues for subsequent events.

The first weekly show on April 18 will mark the third event in the “Road To The Championship” series. Following the sixth event in the series, which kicked off on September 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nev., the most successful competitors in each weight class will be placed in the first Combate Americas world championship bouts in history.

NEW YORK – March 28, 2015 – Combate Americas, the first-ever U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise founded by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-creator Campbell McLaren, today announced the return of its epic, action-packed “Road To the Championship” fight series to NBC UNIVERSO, the modern entertainment and sports cable channel for Latinos, with a weekly, one-hour program, beginning Monday, April 18, at 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, from Los Angeles, Calif.

A total of 30 bouts featuring the most fearsome, emerging Hispanic MMA fighters, including Imagen Award-winning Combate Americas reality series contestant and professional boxer Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (5-1 MMA, 2-0-1 boxing), Urijah Faber protégé Erick Sanchez (6-2), John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (9-2) and women’s atomweight standout and Eddie Bravo pupil Kyra “Mogwai” Batara (4-3), will unfold over the course of a 30-day period.

“We are thrilled to be featured in a new, weekly slot that will allow us to continuously showcase the best and most exciting young Hispanic fighters and future world champions” said McLaren.

“Since we launched our franchise,” continued McLaren, “NBC Universo has played an instrumental part in helping Combate Americas engage a national Hispanic audience, so we look forward to returning to their incredible platform, and entertaining and inspiring new and existing MMA fans throughout the U.S.

“Combate Americas is a great place for fighters of Latin backgrounds to shine in front of martial arts fans”, said Bilai Joa Silar, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production at NBC Universo. “It’s very exciting to have another season of Combate Americas on NBC Universo. We’re sure our audience will be thrilled with each fight scheduled since they will all feature top notch fighters.”

Additional participating fighters and matchups will be announced soon, as will the Los Angeles location for the kick-off event and host venues for subsequent events.

The first weekly show on April 18 will mark the third event in the “Road To The Championship” series. Following the sixth event in the series, which kicked off on September 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nev., the most successful competitors in each weight class will be placed in the first Combate Americas world championship bouts in history.

Dos Santos on Velasquez fights: ‘I was looking worse than I really was’

Junior dos Santos discusses the amount of damage he took in his fights with Cain Velasquez, and how long he’ll stick around MMA.

Junior dos Santos has been in some wars in his UFC career. Despite being the youngest fighter in the top ten of the UFC rankings, he has taken a lot of damage in his 14 fights in the Octagon and didn’t look like the same fighter when he lost to Alistair Overeem earlier this year. He has a chance to redeem himself against Ben Rothwell though, when they meet in the main event of the UFC’s first trip to Croatia.

As a recent guest on The MMA Hour, Dos Santos talked about the damage he’s taken in bouts, particularly the second and third bouts with Cain Velasquez (via MMA Fighting):

“Yes, there were some tough fights for me. I took a lot of damage, but I get swollen very easy and I get cut very easy too. For the people that were watching the fight, I was looking worse than I really was, you know? Those fights were pretty hard for me, but I’m learning with everything.:

He’s not quite sure what happened in the Overeem fight though, where he lost a fairly timid decision:

“This one now, with Alistair Overeem, was something very, very strange for me. That’s hard, that’s really hard part of the game.”

Despite all the knocks he’s picked up though, he’s dedicated to the sport and says that he’ll be competing for a long, long time:

“(I will fight) as long as I can, you know? I wanna have a long career, for sure,” he said. “I know I’m not showing for everybody everything that I got to show, so I’m working on these things. As soon as I find myself in the Octagon again, I’ll be okay to put on a good performance and get back to my winning streak.

“I wanna fight as long as I can. I wanna be like Randy Couture, who fought until he was 47 years old or something. I wanna be one of those guys.”

JDS and Rothwell will tangle on April 10th.

Junior dos Santos discusses the amount of damage he took in his fights with Cain Velasquez, and how long he’ll stick around MMA.

Junior dos Santos has been in some wars in his UFC career. Despite being the youngest fighter in the top ten of the UFC rankings, he has taken a lot of damage in his 14 fights in the Octagon and didn’t look like the same fighter when he lost to Alistair Overeem earlier this year. He has a chance to redeem himself against Ben Rothwell though, when they meet in the main event of the UFC’s first trip to Croatia.

As a recent guest on The MMA Hour, Dos Santos talked about the damage he’s taken in bouts, particularly the second and third bouts with Cain Velasquez (via MMA Fighting):

“Yes, there were some tough fights for me. I took a lot of damage, but I get swollen very easy and I get cut very easy too. For the people that were watching the fight, I was looking worse than I really was, you know? Those fights were pretty hard for me, but I’m learning with everything.:

He’s not quite sure what happened in the Overeem fight though, where he lost a fairly timid decision:

“This one now, with Alistair Overeem, was something very, very strange for me. That’s hard, that’s really hard part of the game.”

Despite all the knocks he’s picked up though, he’s dedicated to the sport and says that he’ll be competing for a long, long time:

“(I will fight) as long as I can, you know? I wanna have a long career, for sure,” he said. “I know I’m not showing for everybody everything that I got to show, so I’m working on these things. As soon as I find myself in the Octagon again, I’ll be okay to put on a good performance and get back to my winning streak.

“I wanna fight as long as I can. I wanna be like Randy Couture, who fought until he was 47 years old or something. I wanna be one of those guys.”

JDS and Rothwell will tangle on April 10th.

Coach: ‘Little Guy’ Conor McGregor Is On Some Substance

As of this very moment, nothing has been confirmed regarding the potentially massive Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor rematch which has been rumored for July 9’s UFC 200 from Las Vegas, Nevada. The two met earlier this month at UFC 196 with Diaz accepting the bout on just 10 days notice, and the “Notorious” one

The post Coach: ‘Little Guy’ Conor McGregor Is On Some Substance appeared first on LowKick MMA.

As of this very moment, nothing has been confirmed regarding the potentially massive Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor rematch which has been rumored for July 9’s UFC 200 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The two met earlier this month at UFC 196 with Diaz accepting the bout on just 10 days notice, and the “Notorious” one fighting two whole weight classes above his usual home at 145-pounds.

Despite the odd circumstances, many had expected the Irish hype machine to score yet another knockout finish, but the Stockton native shocked the world, scoring a second round submission victory.

Richard Perez, a coach of Diaz, recently spoke on the possible rematch, saying that if Diaz is given a full training camp, McGregor simply doesn’t stand a chance:

“Well there’s no signed contract,” Perez told Submission Radio about the status of the rematch. “(Nate) just said they told him that he might be fighting again, 170 (against) McGregor. So I said, okay. So he’s planning on coming into the gym next week and start working out.”

“When he’s in good shape and he has no injury, he dominates. He dominates easy,” he said. “He stops people or he beats them. You know, they don’t have a chance. And McGregor had a full camp training, and he even moved up weight to get stronger. Nathan was out, enjoying himself, going to Cabo. You know, he’s eating and drinking and having fun, and they call him.”

“So if it took him two weeks to dominate a guy that’s undefeated, that’s the golden boy, what do you think is going to happen in three months training?” he said. “McGregor’s never seen Nathan in really good shape, he’s seen him only half-ass. This is nothing. He wasn’t really in tip-top shape at all.”

Not only is Perez confident that McGregor will once again be knocked off, but he’s also been a bit skeptical of the Irishman’s triumphant move up in weight.

Perez feels as if McGregor may be on some type of ‘substance’, claiming that fighters don’t bulk up so quickly without holding onto some fat:

“Like I told you at the beginning, I said I’m not the one that really knows, but just by watching a guy to come up from 145 to 170, you’re gonna have some fat on you. Believe me, you’re going to have to have some fat somewhere. Around your waist, somewhere. He didn’t have any fat at all. He was solid muscle. So how are you going to build that much in two weeks and be solid muscle?”

“He was supposed to fight at 155, but he was already overweight. I know he was. When he found out that (Rafael dos Anjos) hurt his ankle, he called Nathan out at 170. So that tells me right there that he couldn’t get down to weight because something’s making him build up.”

“Like I said, I’m not the one who really knows about him, but to me, I feel like he’s gotta be on some kind of substance, you know, to get built up,” he said. “Cause he’s a little guy, and a little guy can’t get real bulky that quick.”

Do you see any truth in Perez’s bold accusations?

The post Coach: ‘Little Guy’ Conor McGregor Is On Some Substance appeared first on LowKick MMA.