T.J. Dillashaw is a champion in a very precarious position. The 135-pound division has long awaited a star who can push the division to mainstream fans, and T.J. seems to be that type of competitor. Unfortunately, the UFC finds itself at a point where …
T.J. Dillashaw is a champion in a very precarious position. The 135-pound division has long awaited a star who can push the division to mainstream fans, and T.J. seems to be that type of competitor. Unfortunately, the UFC finds itself at a point where very few men are viable contenders for his strap.
Since winning the title at UFC 173, Dillashaw has sat atop a division that has been plagued by injuries to the men who would be inserted as challengers. Dominick Cruz and Raphael Assuncao were two men tapped as potential contenders, but both are on the shelf at this time.
Mike Fridley of Sherdog reported the two injuries on December 22.
Cruz used his Facebook page to reveal that he been hit with his third ACL injury. This time the injury occurred in his right knee; the previous injuries that kept him out of action for nearly three years were in his left knee.
Before this sad moment, Cruz had returned to the Octagon with a crushing defeat of Takeya Mizugaki in 61 seconds. After this win, UFC President Dana White went on record to say that Cruz will be the next man to face Dillashaw.
“Nobody does that to Mizugaki, nobody,” White said in a Sherdog piece by C.J. Tuttle. “He didn’t lose his belt fighting. He is the unluckiest man on earth. So yeah, he’s the guy.”
At the time that left Raphael Assuncao out of the picture, but he was removed indefinitely when he announced a serious injury hours after Cruz’s post. Assuncao took to his Twitter account to reveal that his ankle was broken during training.
Assuncao is currently ranked No. 4 by the UFC, and his recent win over Dillashaw gave him the leverage to call for a title shot before being sidelined.
With both of these men healing from injuries, Dillashaw is left without any interesting contenders at this time. While Renan Barao has a stoppage win over Mitch Gagnon, but the organization does not seem ready to put him back in the cage to rematch for the title.
There is another name that has come up in conversations as of late, John Dodson. Dodson is the only other man to defeat the Team Alpha Male standout as he did so to win season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2011. Dodson has addressed this situation as he prepares to return from a knee injury of his own and hopes to rematch current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.
“I think I’m the bogeyman at 125 and 135,” said Dodson, as reported by Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting. “Even that champion doesn’t want to fight me. I have a whole team afraid of me.”
Unfortunately, Dodson may not return until some point in June due to the surgery to repair his knee injury, according to Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania. That puts a third potential challenger on the shelf and out of the bantamweight title picture.
Perhaps the UFC can turn to either Urijah Faber or Renan Barao to give Dillashaw a viable opponent early in 2015. Both individuals come with story-lines that could captivate MMA fans when it comes to these fights.
Faber is an established MMA star, but winning a UFC title has still eluded him. He failed against Barao twice and once against Cruz.
The major hurdle in creating a fight between Faber and Dillashaw is the fact that the two men have trained together for years. However, Dana White is under the impression that the two men would fight each other over the belt.
“That’s possible,” White said on UFC Tonight, as reported by MMA Fighting. “Those guys have made it very clear that they will fight each other. We’ll see what happens.”
Dillashaw vs. Faber could be the bantamweight fight that gives the division the exposure that the organization would like to see for its champion.
Barao was in control of the 135-pound group before he ran into Dillashaw in 2014. Not only was he defeated, but he was dominated for much of the fight. When coupled with the weight cut issues that forced him to pull out of UFC 177, he may be highly ranked but has not been built up in a fashion to present him as a top contender at this time.
The UFC needs to keep its champions healthy and active. T.J. Dillashaw is the type of individual a division can be built around. Sadly, the organization lacks the contenders to build up their bantamweight title holder.
LOS ANGELES — A strange video of Anderson Silva apparently knocking out a training partner with a knee aired on Brazilian television this week. A clip made its way to Twitter on Tuesday, queuing up multiple questions about its validity.
UFC fighters Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis and their Alliance MMA head coach Eric Del Fierro both watched it Tuesday during a media luncheon to promote UFC on FOX 14: Gustafsson vs. Johnson. Even after viewing it several times, the trio had no clue what to believe.
“He didn’t look knocked out to me,” Davis said. “He looks maybe hurt. People when they get knocked out look stiff and he doesn’t look stiff anywhere.”
Gustafsson joked that maybe it was all for the cameras and the sparring partner, Douglas Moura of Team Nogueira, took a dive.
“[Silva] probably gave him a hundred bucks after practice,” Gustafsson quipped.
Del Fierro was more disturbed than anything. He said something like that would never happen in his gym, especially the follow-up shots Silva came in with after initial impact, though they didn’t seem to be at full speed. Del Fierro marveled that the other person in the cage just stood there and watched instead of jumping in.
“I would have quit that gym right then and there,” Del Fierro said, if he were Silva’s training partner.
Del Fierro admitted it did appear that Silva’s flying knee did connect on Moura. He admitted that people do get knocked out Alliance, but it looks nothing like this video, where no one came to Moura’s aid.
In any case, Davis, who called out Silva after his win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 179 in October, was not too impressed by the entire thing.
“And if he is knocked out, why is he still hitting him?” Davis said. “That’s what you do to a training partner? You don’t just knock him out like Hendo and follow up on him like Bisping. It’s your training partner. What’s wrong with you?”
LOS ANGELES — A strange video of Anderson Silva apparently knocking out a training partner with a knee aired on Brazilian television this week. A clip made its way to Twitter on Tuesday, queuing up multiple questions about its validity.
UFC fighters Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis and their Alliance MMA head coach Eric Del Fierro both watched it Tuesday during a media luncheon to promote UFC on FOX 14: Gustafsson vs. Johnson. Even after viewing it several times, the trio had no clue what to believe.
“He didn’t look knocked out to me,” Davis said. “He looks maybe hurt. People when they get knocked out look stiff and he doesn’t look stiff anywhere.”
Gustafsson joked that maybe it was all for the cameras and the sparring partner, Douglas Moura of Team Nogueira, took a dive.
“[Silva] probably gave him a hundred bucks after practice,” Gustafsson quipped.
Del Fierro was more disturbed than anything. He said something like that would never happen in his gym, especially the follow-up shots Silva came in with after initial impact, though they didn’t seem to be at full speed. Del Fierro marveled that the other person in the cage just stood there and watched instead of jumping in.
“I would have quit that gym right then and there,” Del Fierro said, if he were Silva’s training partner.
Del Fierro admitted it did appear that Silva’s flying knee did connect on Moura. He admitted that people do get knocked out Alliance, but it looks nothing like this video, where no one came to Moura’s aid.
In any case, Davis, who called out Silva after his win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 179 in October, was not too impressed by the entire thing.
“And if he is knocked out, why is he still hitting him?” Davis said. “That’s what you do to a training partner? You don’t just knock him out like Hendo and follow up on him like Bisping. It’s your training partner. What’s wrong with you?”
Dennis Siver has been busted for taking performance-enhancing drugs once. Conor McGregor believes there is no guarantee he won’t be using them when the two fight Sunday.
“I feel he has been on that stuff his whole career and who knows his evolution?” McGregor said Tuesday on ESPN2’s Highly Questionable. “He has probably evolved his skills of hiding the substance. So as far as I’m aware, he could be entering this contest on performance-enhancing drugs as it is. I do not respect an individual like that.”
In December 2013, Siver tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a fertility drug for women. It can also be used in combination with anabolic steroid cycles, so it is part of the WADA banned list. Siver was suspended and his win over Manny Gamburyan was overturned into a no contest.
Since then, Siver (22-9, 1 NC) has fought only once, defeating Charles Rosa in October. The German’s only losses since 2010 have come against Cub Swanson and Donald Cerrone. Yet, McGregor (16-2) is a 12-to-1 favorite in some sportsbooks for the main event at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston.
“The Notorious” doesn’t seem to think that figure is too high. McGregor not only predicts he will knock Siver out within two minutes of the fight, he also now says Siver will be ousted from the UFC following the loss.
“He has two options,” McGregor said. “He can either retire or he will be cut from the promotion. On the night, on the air, I will cut him myself as I believe I am shaping up to become vice president of the UFC pretty soon. So I will be making cuts myself.”
McGregor, 26, also commented for the first time about calling Siver a Nazi on social media back in November. The Irishman quickly deleted the post, but he still has no apologies for Siver — only others who might have been insulted by the off-color remark.
“I realized people outside of the contest took offense,” McGregor said. “I did not want to offend nobody that is not involved in the contest. But as far as offending Dennis, I do not care about Dennis. I will call him whatever I want and I will do what I please to him on Sunday night.”
***
5 MUST-READ STORIES
One-night only. Jon Jones reportedly spent just a single day in rehab following his positive test for cocaine in December. Seriously.
Jones be stuntin?’ So was this whole drug-treatment facility deal a giant publicity stunt? Our own Chuck Mindenall breaks it down.
Doesn’t move the needle? Looks like the only thing that long holdout did for Nate Diaz was cost him precious time and money. Diaz made only $16,000 for his loss to Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 13: Dos Santos vs. Miocic. Ouch.
Don’t kill the messenger.No one from the UFC asked or even told Benson Henderson about his opponent change for UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver last week. The man who broke the news to him? Donald Cerrone, the dude who he’s going to be fighting.
Suspect ‘Spider.’Anderson Silva knocked out a sparring partner with a highlight-reel flying knee. Or did he? Watch the video and decide for yourself. We still have no clue what to make of it.
Okay, one thing is certain. If CM Punk wins his first fight, then his opponent must be at a similar MMA level. And if that’s true, then it’s not going to be a true and tested MMA fighter who is in the UFC on the merits of their MMA skillset. That means this is wide open. I’ll kick things off.
First Choice:
CM Punk vs. Steven Segal
Dennis Siver has been busted for taking performance-enhancing drugs once. Conor McGregor believes there is no guarantee he won’t be using them when the two fight Sunday.
“I feel he has been on that stuff his whole career and who knows his evolution?” McGregor said Tuesday on ESPN2’s Highly Questionable. “He has probably evolved his skills of hiding the substance. So as far as I’m aware, he could be entering this contest on performance-enhancing drugs as it is. I do not respect an individual like that.”
In December 2013, Siver tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a fertility drug for women. It can also be used in combination with anabolic steroid cycles, so it is part of the WADA banned list. Siver was suspended and his win over Manny Gamburyan was overturned into a no contest.
Since then, Siver (22-9, 1 NC) has fought only once, defeating Charles Rosa in October. The German’s only losses since 2010 have come against Cub Swanson and Donald Cerrone. Yet, McGregor (16-2) is a 12-to-1 favorite in some sportsbooks for the main event at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston.
“The Notorious” doesn’t seem to think that figure is too high. McGregor not only predicts he will knock Siver out within two minutes of the fight, he also now says Siver will be ousted from the UFC following the loss.
“He has two options,” McGregor said. “He can either retire or he will be cut from the promotion. On the night, on the air, I will cut him myself as I believe I am shaping up to become vice president of the UFC pretty soon. So I will be making cuts myself.”
McGregor, 26, also commented for the first time about calling Siver a Nazi on social media back in November. The Irishman quickly deleted the post, but he still has no apologies for Siver — only others who might have been insulted by the off-color remark.
“I realized people outside of the contest took offense,” McGregor said. “I did not want to offend nobody that is not involved in the contest. But as far as offending Dennis, I do not care about Dennis. I will call him whatever I want and I will do what I please to him on Sunday night.”
***
5 MUST-READ STORIES
One-night only. Jon Jones reportedly spent just a single day in rehab following his positive test for cocaine in December. Seriously.
Jones be stuntin?’ So was this whole drug-treatment facility deal a giant publicity stunt? Our own Chuck Mindenall breaks it down.
Doesn’t move the needle? Looks like the only thing that long holdout did for Nate Diaz was cost him precious time and money. Diaz made only $16,000 for his loss to Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 13: Dos Santos vs. Miocic. Ouch.
Don’t kill the messenger.No one from the UFC asked or even told Benson Henderson about his opponent change for UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver last week. The man who broke the news to him? Donald Cerrone, the dude who he’s going to be fighting.
Suspect ‘Spider.’Anderson Silva knocked out a sparring partner with a highlight-reel flying knee. Or did he? Watch the video and decide for yourself. We still have no clue what to make of it.
Okay, one thing is certain. If CM Punk wins his first fight, then his opponent must be at a similar MMA level. And if that’s true, then it’s not going to be a true and tested MMA fighter who is in the UFC on the merits of their MMA skillset. That means this is wide open. I’ll kick things off.
Pat Barry is returning to the kickboxing ring.
The former UFC veteran will take on Mourad Bouzidi at Glory 20 on April 3 in Dubai. Barry was knocked out in the first round by Zack Mekwessa in his Glory debut last May at Glory 16.
It will act…
The former UFC veteran will take on Mourad Bouzidi at Glory 20 on April 3 in Dubai. Barry was knocked out in the first round by Zack Mekwessa in his Glory debut last May at Glory 16.
It will actually be Barry’s second kickboxing match in three months. “HD” meets Domoreo Dennis at Legacy Kickboxing’s event in Texas on Friday night.
Barry, who is 16-6-1 in his pro kickboxing career, spent five years in the UFC, putting together a record of 5-7. The heavy-handed heavyweight remained a fan favorite and one of the more exciting fighters in the division. The 35-year-old was released from the UFC after a loss to Soa Palelei in December 2013 and announced his return to kickboxing, his original combat sport.
Bouzidi (76-22-2) is moving back up to heavyweight after a stint in the light heavyweight division. The Tunisian standout is coming off a unanimous decision win over Randy Blake at Glory 15 last April. Bouzidi’s Glory record is 2-4.
Glory 20 will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between Gabrial Varga and Mosab Amrani. The card marks Glory’s first foray into the Middle East.
UFC 184 keeps getting more interesting.
A pair of rising lightweights will face off when Tony Ferguson takes on Yancy Medeiros on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles, the UFC announced Tuesday. The main card of UFC 184 will air live on pay-per-view. Ferg…
A pair of rising lightweights will face off when Tony Ferguson takes on Yancy Medeiros on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles, the UFC announced Tuesday. The main card of UFC 184 will air live on pay-per-view. Ferguson-Medeiros is likely to be on the FOX Sports 1 prelims portion of the stacked event.
Ferguson (17-3) is on the cusp of being ranked in the top 15 among 155-pounders in the UFC. He has won four straight, most recently a unanimous decision victory over Abel Trujillo at UFC 181 last month. The California native is 7-1 in the UFC with his only loss coming against ranked competitor Michael Johnson in 2012. Ferguson, 30, trains at Reign MMA in Orange County and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu with Eddie Bravo in Los Angeles, so the bout at Staples Center will basically be a home match for him.
Medeiros (11-2, 1 NC) has won two straight bouts with unique submissions. He tapped Joe Proctor with a modified guillotine choke last month at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale and got Damon Jackson with a reverse bulldog choke at UFC 177 in August. Overall, the Hawaiian is 4-2-1 in the UFC and Strikeforce. The 27-year-old frequently trains with Nick and Nate Diaz in the Bay Area.
UFC 184 is headlined by a middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort. The co-main event will feature Ronda Rousey defending her women’s bantamweight title against Cat Zingano. It will be the UFC’s first trip back to Los Angeles since UFC on FOX: Shogun vs. Vera in August 2012.
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertittahas said the UFC featherweight is “almost like the Irish Muhammad Ali in a way.” McGregor doesn’t feel completely worthy of that comparison.
“For me, Muhammad Ali is a special individual,” McGregor said on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday. “He is out on his own and I cannot lay claim to something like that. He changed the cultural landscape of the world. So, Muhammad Ali is a special human being. For people to say that, I am honored. But Ali is a special, special man. I am on my own journey and doing what I do best.”
McGregor meets Dennis Siver in the main event of UFC Fight Night 59 on Sunday in Boston. The entire card is centered around McGregor and every promo airing during NFL playoff games on FOX have pumped him up as the next big thing in MMA. With a win, McGregor will earn a featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo.
McGregor (16-2) has said he will knock Siver out within two minutes of the first round. He doubled down on that prediction on SportsCenter.
“I have given my prediction and my predictions are always correct,” McGregor said.
“It has nothing to do with cockiness or anything,” he added. “I am simply assessing my opponent.”
McGregor is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC with his latest win coming by first-round knockout over Dustin Poirier at UFC 178 in September. In July, McGregor knocked out Diego Brandao in the first round of the UFC’s return to his hometown of Dublin, Ireland.
There is a possibility a title fight against Aldo could also happen in Dublin — inside an stadium that holds more than 80,000 fans.
“It is a dream come true,” McGregor said. “We have a football stadium called Croke Park and it is symbolic in our culture. We have fought for our independence on that pitch literally. The English invaded the pitch in a tank and opened fire on the players and the fans back in 1916 when we fought for our independence. It is a football pitch rich in history. Now we are talking about bringing UFC to Croke Park. It would be a spectacle never seen before. There is only one man that fought prizefighting on that pitch before me and that man was Muhammad Ali. It would be special.”
So, in that way, a comparison to Ali wouldn’t be completely ridiculous.
A humble Conor McGregor? Who knew?
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertittahas said the UFC featherweight is “almost like the Irish Muhammad Ali in a way.” McGregor doesn’t feel completely worthy of that comparison.
“For me, Muhammad Ali is a special individual,” McGregor said on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday. “He is out on his own and I cannot lay claim to something like that. He changed the cultural landscape of the world. So, Muhammad Ali is a special human being. For people to say that, I am honored. But Ali is a special, special man. I am on my own journey and doing what I do best.”
McGregor meets Dennis Siver in the main event of UFC Fight Night 59 on Sunday in Boston. The entire card is centered around McGregor and every promo airing during NFL playoff games on FOX have pumped him up as the next big thing in MMA. With a win, McGregor will earn a featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo.
McGregor (16-2) has said he will knock Siver out within two minutes of the first round. He doubled down on that prediction on SportsCenter.
“I have given my prediction and my predictions are always correct,” McGregor said.
“It has nothing to do with cockiness or anything,” he added. “I am simply assessing my opponent.”
McGregor is a perfect 4-0 in the UFC with his latest win coming by first-round knockout over Dustin Poirier at UFC 178 in September. In July, McGregor knocked out Diego Brandao in the first round of the UFC’s return to his hometown of Dublin, Ireland.
There is a possibility a title fight against Aldo could also happen in Dublin — inside an stadium that holds more than 80,000 fans.
“It is a dream come true,” McGregor said. “We have a football stadium called Croke Park and it is symbolic in our culture. We have fought for our independence on that pitch literally. The English invaded the pitch in a tank and opened fire on the players and the fans back in 1916 when we fought for our independence. It is a football pitch rich in history. Now we are talking about bringing UFC to Croke Park. It would be a spectacle never seen before. There is only one man that fought prizefighting on that pitch before me and that man was Muhammad Ali. It would be special.”
So, in that way, a comparison to Ali wouldn’t be completely ridiculous.
T.J. Dillashaw is a champion in a very precarious position. The 135-pound division has long awaited a star who can push the division to mainstream fans, and T.J. seems to be that type of competitor. Unfortunately, the UFC finds itself at a point where very few men are viable contenders for his strap.
