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Holland Roasts Luke Rockhold For Unretiring Due To Being Broke

UFC middleweight Kevin Holland has suggested that former champion Luke Rockhold is only returning to the Octagon because he is “broke.” Holland is set to be in action himself this weekend at UFC Vegas 38. In the co-main event, the #14-ranked contender will face fellow 28-year-old Kyle Daukaus. After bursting onto the scene with five […]

Continue Reading Holland Roasts Luke Rockhold For Unretiring Due To Being Broke at MMA News.

UFC middleweight Kevin Holland has suggested that former champion Luke Rockhold is only returning to the Octagon because he is “broke.”

Holland is set to be in action himself this weekend at UFC Vegas 38. In the co-main event, the #14-ranked contender will face fellow 28-year-old Kyle Daukaus.

After bursting onto the scene with five consecutive wins in 2020, including a brutal knockout of the legendary Ronald “Jacare” Souza, Holland saw his hype train derailed with back-to-back defeats in 2021. His five-round loss to Derek Brunson was practically replicated in nature a matter of weeks later against Marvin Vettori.

With his five-fight win streak falling further into the distant past, Holland is in need of a big rebound performance on Saturday to remind fans why he became a must-watch middleweight last year.

Speaking at UFC Vegas 38 media day, Holland assessed his wrestling deficiencies, which were on full display in his two defeats earlier this year. After being told to take some time to work on them, “Trailblazer” is confident he can return in style this weekend.

“Me, personally, I thought I was good at wrestling before I got outwrestled by (Derek) Brunson and (Marvin) Vettori. So, hopefully, it got better.” Holland was seemingly optimistic about the improvements in his wrestling skills. He added, “I mean, at the end of the day, Dana White told me to go fix some things. So, I mean, if the boss tells you to do something, you do what the boss tells you to do if you want to keep collecting a check, right?” (h/t Sportskeeda)

After suggesting that he’s adapting his game in order to continue to perform and be paid in the UFC, Holland took a swipe at former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold. “Big Mouth” suggested the 36-year-old is only making a comeback because he’s got no money left.

“So, I mean, I know they’re all gonna say I kissed them booty cheeks after this on the interviews and stuff like that, but I really don’t care. I do what I’m supposed to do, so I can continue to get paid. That way I don’t have to be like Luke Rockhold – retiring and then coming back because I’m broke as a fuck. You know what I mean? So, yeah.”

This is not the first time Holland has had Rockhold’s name in his mouth. The ranked middleweight expressed interest in fighting him earlier this year. Rockhold also recently revealed that he DM’d the 28-year-old about the “naive” comments Holland made about fighter pay.

Having not fought since his brutal knockout loss to current light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz in 2019, Rockhold will return to action at UFC 268. After a period of uncertainty surrounding his comeback following a struggle to find a suitable opponent, it was announced that the veteran will face the charismatic Sean Strickland at the November 6 pay-per-view.

Should Holland impress this weekend at UFC Vegas 38, and Rockhold regain some form in his own fight later this year, perhaps we’ll see the pair meet each other in the cage at some point in 2022.

Do you think Kevin Holland and Luke Rockhold will win their upcoming fights?

Continue Reading Holland Roasts Luke Rockhold For Unretiring Due To Being Broke at MMA News.

Michael Chandler Believes Dustin Poirier Finishes Charles Oliveira At UFC 269

Michael ChandlerWith former interim UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier currently targeted to headline UFC 269 on December 11. against current undisputed lightweight titleholder, Charles Oliveira — recent vacant title chaser, Michael Chandler has predicted Poirier will clinch the undisputed crown — with a late stoppage win over the Brazilian champion. Himself slated to feature on the […]

Michael Chandler

With former interim UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier currently targeted to headline UFC 269 on December 11. against current undisputed lightweight titleholder, Charles Oliveira — recent vacant title chaser, Michael Chandler has predicted Poirier will clinch the undisputed crown — with a late stoppage win over the Brazilian champion.

Himself slated to feature on the main card of UFC 268 in November at Madison Square Garden, two-fight Octagon veteran, Chandler returns in a highly-anticipated high-profile matchup against former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje.

Chandler, a former three-time undisputed Bellator lightweight champion, snapped a 10-year stint with the organization last year, scoring an Octagon bow in January.

Co-headlining UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, UAE — Chandler scored a massive opening round knockout victory over Dan Hooker, before he was immediately installed into the lightweight title picture in the form of a vacant title matchup against the above mentioned, Oliveira in the main event of UFC 262 in August. 

Although yet to be finalized, a lightweight title bout between Oliveira and Poirier is widely expected to take main event status as part of a championship tripleheader at UFC 269 at the end of the year. And if the finishing touches are added to the matchup, Chandler predicts Poirier achieves lightweight stardom once more — this time for the undisputed title.

“”I think Dustin Poirier,” Michael Chandler told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I think they’re both complete fighters. I think (Charles) Oliveira has shown over his last couple of fights, especially the fight against me, his hands have come along. He is basic and he hits hard. He hits harder than we think. His grappling is obviously always on-point, but I think Dustin Poirier is a little bit better in every area. I think Dustin Poirier’s cardio [is better].“

“I think Dustin Poirier’s ability to get him hurt and finish the fight, like I wasn’t able to do, is second to none,” Chandler explained. “I think Dustin Poirier wins that fight by a third or fourth round stoppage.“

Up Next! UFC 267 On Fight Island!

UFC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will take a rare break from the pay-per-view (PPV) market for the upcoming UFC 267 fight card, recently announced for “Fight Island” on Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi. The ESPN and ABC-tele…


UFC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will take a rare break from the pay-per-view (PPV) market for the upcoming UFC 267 fight card, recently announced for “Fight Island” on Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi. The ESPN and ABC-televised event will feature the light heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira, as well as the interim championship showdown pitting top contender Cory Sandhagen opposite former bantamweight titleholder Petr Yan.

Event: UFC 267: “Blachowicz vs. Teixeira”
Date: Sat., Oct. 30, 2021
Location: Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi
Broadcast: ESPN+

UFC 267 Main Event on ESPN+:

205 lbs.: UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira

UFC 267 Co-Main Event on ESPN+:

135 lbs.: Cory Sandhagen vs. Petr Yan for Interim Bantamweight Championship

UFC 267 Main Card on ESPN+ (2 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Dan Hooker vs. Islam Makhachev
265 lbs.: Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Volkov
170 lbs.: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir

UFC 267 Prelims Card on ESPN+ (10:30 a.m. ET):

115 lbs.: Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
145 lbs.: Ricardo Ramos vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
185 lbs.: Albert Duraev vs. Roman Kopylov
170 lbs.: Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
205 lbs.: Shamil Gamzatov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
145 lbs.: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Lerone Murphy
185 lbs.: Alen Amedovski vs. Hu Yaozong
155 lbs.: Damir Ismagulov vs. Magomed Mustafaev
125 lbs.: Allan Nascimento vs. Tagir Ulanbekov

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change due to COVID-19.*

For more upcoming UFC events click here.

Pic: Newspaper appears to mistake Cormier for Jones

Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones before UFC 214 in 2017. | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

A major newspaper in Canada might have published a shot of Cormier while reporting on Jones’ latest arrest….


Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones before UFC 214 in 2017.
Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones before UFC 214 in 2017. | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

A major newspaper in Canada might have published a shot of Cormier while reporting on Jones’ latest arrest.

This week Jon Jones made headlines for all the wrong reasons (again) when he was arrested and charged with battery domestic violence and damaging a vehicle. A report obtained from Las Vegas Metro Police accused Jones of pulling his fiancee’s hair, which lead to the couple’s child asking Caesars Palace security staff to call 911.

That police report also states that Jones’ fiancee had a swollen and bloody lip and blood on her clothing. Though, she maintained that Jones didn’t hit her.

The latest criminal charge to hit Jones was heavily reported on outside of the MMA media bubble. However, that seems to have lead to an unusual goof-up from one newspaper in particular.

Former UFC title challenger Patrick Cote recently took to Twitter to put Le Journal de Quebec on blast. “Good job,” he wrote alongside the face-palm emoji, over top of an image purportedly from that paper showing former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight Daniel Cormier in their coverage of Jones’ arrest.

As you can imagine, DC was also not thrilled. He wrote, “This is not cool!”

Bloody Elbow reached out to Le Journal de Quebec for an explanation of how this happened. At this time of writing there has been no response.

Presumably, since Cormier and Jones have had an extensive and storied history someone with little MMA knowledge might have found a lot of Cormier pictures while searching for Jones in their image database.

The pair fought each other on two occasions (three if you include a brawl at a media event). Their first fight, at UFC 182 in 2015, resulted in a unanimous decision win for Jones and a defence of his UFC light heavyweight title.

Soon after this Jones was involved in a hit-and-run incident that saw him stripped of the belt. He next met Cormier at UFC 214 in 2017 (after their fight at UFC 200 was called off due to Jones testing positive for a number of banned substances). That fight ended in a KO win for Jones and saw him take Cormier’s 205 lb title. However, the fight result was later overturned to no contest after Jones tested positive for a turinabol metabolite.

After Jones’ most recent run-in with the law Cormier slammed his former rival, calling the details around his arrest “awful”. Cormier also advocated for the UFC to enforce its code of conduct against Jones, something that could see Jones removed from the promotion.

Can Walker out-brawl Santos?

June M. Williams

Zane Simon & Connor Ruebusch are back to breakdown this week’s UFC event in Las Vegas, NV. With picks, odds, and analysis for every fight on the card. From Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker in the main…


MMA Vivi, The MMA Vivisection, UFC Vegas 38, Thiago Santos vs Johnny Walker, UFC Picks & Predictions, UFC Preview, UFC Podcast, MMA Podcast, UFC Analysis & Odds, Zane Simon, Connor Ruebusch,
June M. Williams

Zane Simon & Connor Ruebusch are back to breakdown this week’s UFC event in Las Vegas, NV. With picks, odds, and analysis for every fight on the card. From Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker in the main event down to Alejandro Perez vs. Johnny Eduardo in the opening prelim.

It feels like it’s been a few months since the UFC really put together what looks to be a fantastic Fight Night offering. Thaigo Santos vs. Johnny Walker has all the hallmarks of a surefire thriller. Kevin Holland returns in the co-main event, and Niko Price taking on Alex Oliveira should be a wild one.

MMA Vivi, The MMA Vivisection, Zane Simon, Connor Ruebusch, UFC Podcast, MMA Podcast,
June M. Williams
Your MMA Vivisection Hosts!

For fans interested in diving deeper into the undercard, check out the Prelims Vivi below.

The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by Combat Wombat, makers of combat sports themed artwork featuring MMA’s legendary fighters and legendary fights. Visit chrisrini.com for the latest pieces and commissions. Get your Combat Wombat themed Vivi t-shirts today! cottonbureau.com/products/dr-wombat

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | 7pm/4pm ET&PT
Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker — At 3:19, Odds 20:02, Picks, Both: Santos
Kevin Holland vs. Kyle Daukaus — At 21:11, Odds 33:44, Picks, Both: Holland
Alex Oliveira vs. Niko Price — At 35:45, Odds 45:38, Picks, Both: Price
Misha Cirkunov vs. Krzysztof Jotko — At 45:52, Odds 55:22, Picks, Both: Cirkunov
Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson — At 56:30, Odds 1:01:11, Picks, Both: Ladd
Alexander Hernandez vs. Mike Breeden — At 1:01:30, Odds 1:08:01, Picks, Both: Hernandez

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4pm/1pm ET&PT
Joe Solecki vs. Jared Gordon — At 4:13, Odds 17:18, Picks, Both: Gordon
Antonina Shevchenko vs. Casey O’Neill — At 18:24, Odds 29:05, Picks, Both: O’Neill
Bethe Correia vs. Karol Rosa — At 29:56, Odds 35:43, Picks, Both: Rosa
Jamie Mullarkey vs. Devonte Smith — At 36:16, Odds 45:40, Picks, Both: Smith
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Gaetano Pirrrello — At 45:58, Odds 50:16, Picks, Both: Andrade
Shanna Young vs. Stephanie Egger — At 50:36, Odds 55:35, Picks, Zane: Young, Connor: Egger
Alejandro Perez vs. Johnny Eduardo — At 56:20, Odds 1:01:51, Picks, Zane: Perez, Connor: Eduardo

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisections for ‘Kattar vs. Ige’… Standings for our last event, UFC 266: Zane went 11 out of the 12 bouts we counted out of the 13 we watched this week, Connor went 8 out of those 12. So far, here are the overall standings: Zane is now 367/595 and Connor is now 356/595.

If you enjoy our show, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on whichever BE Presents Podcast Channel happens to be your listening platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to Bloody Elbow Presents; that way you’ll always be the first to get all of BE’s daily MMA offerings. For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.

Dan Hooker Replaces Rafael dos Anjos, Meets Islam Makhachev At UFC 267

Dan HookerIn quite astonishing circumstances, UFC lightweight contender, Dan Hooker is set to delay his return to his native New Zealand amid the ongoing travel restrictions in the country — in a bid to travel to Abu Dhabi, UAE — replacing former lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos in a short-notice UFC 267 bout with Islam Makhachev. […]

Dan Hooker

In quite astonishing circumstances, UFC lightweight contender, Dan Hooker is set to delay his return to his native New Zealand amid the ongoing travel restrictions in the country — in a bid to travel to Abu Dhabi, UAE — replacing former lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos in a short-notice UFC 267 bout with Islam Makhachev.

Hooker, who competed just last weekend at UFC 266, bested Nasrat Haqparast with an impressive unanimous decision victory, however, the Auckland native struggled to obtain a United States VISA to attend the event due to travel restrictions in place amid the ongoing COVID-19, limited to arrival on the Thursday of fight week.

Successfully making weight and besting Haqparast in a preliminary bout showdown, Hooker, as per UFC president Dana White as reported by ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto — will replace dos Anjos and meet Makhachev next month on ‘Fight Island”.

“DAN HOOKER (@danthehangman) is stepping into face Islam Makhachev (@MAKHACHEVMMA) at UFC 267 in one month, per Dana White (@danawhite),” Okamoto tweeted. “Just fought at UFC 266, on a week he had to fly from New Zealand to Vegas two days before the fight. What a savage, this guy.“

For dos Anjos, the Niteroi native was forced from the third rescheduled bout with Makhachev after he underwent arthroscopy knee surgery to address a meniscus injury, forcing him to withdraw from the bout with the Makhachkala native.

For American Kickboxing Academy mainstay, Makhachev, the short-notice pairing with Hooker offers him the opportunity to remain on the October 30. card in Abu Dhabi, UAE — as well as make his third Octagon walk of the year.

In the midst of a stunning eight-fight undefeated surge, Makhachev submitted both Drew Dober and Thiago Moises with stunning choke wins at UFC 239 and UFC Vegas 31, respectively — the second of which came as his first headlining bout under the UFC banner.

UFC 267 takes place on October 30. from the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE — with a light heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira slated to headline. In the co-main event, the former undisputed bantamweight champion, Petr Yan meets with the #3 ranked contender, Cory Sandhagen in an interim title bout.