Author: Dan Hiergesell

Despite rumors that Nick Diaz will try to make another Octagon appearance by the end of 2022 current UFC analyst and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier is convinced we’ve seen the last of the Stockton native.

Diaz, who turns 39 this coming August, made an uneventful return to the Octagon at UFC 266 after a near seven-year hiatus from the sport. The promotion booked Diaz against former rival Robbie Lawler, but Diaz ended up getting finished via third-round TKO. In hindsight, Diaz looked better in training before the fight than the fight itself.

Regardless of the loss, Diaz remains one of the most popular names in mixed martial arts (MMA) today. He has done enough in the sport to warrant another trip to the Octagon, especially if fight fans are going to pay to see it.

But after looking like a complete shell of his former self (and understandably so considering the lengthy layoff) does it make sense for Diaz to fight again?

Cormier sure doesn’t think so. After seeing how Diaz performed against Lawler this past September “DC” isn’t sure if we’ll ever see the Stockton fighter again. He may be wrong, but Cormier makes a valid point in his outlook on Diaz’s fighting future.

“My last visual of Nick Diaz, I don’t feel like we’re gonna really see him again in the Octagon,” said Cormier during a recent episode of “DC & RC.” “The pictures he looked shredded, inside the octagon he looked like a different man and it didn’t seem like he wanted to be in there.”

At this point it’s unknown what’s going to happen with Diaz. It took him nearly seven years to make his return to the Octagon so it’s anyone’s guess as to how long it will take for him to fight again. If he needs a quick buck that may be a different story, but if he’s looking to challenge himself competitively the promotion may have to take some time finding the perfect opponent.

What say you, Maniacs? Will we see Diaz fight in UFC again? If so, which opponent makes the most sense?

Let’s hear it!

Khamzat Chimaev has taken the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by storm, but some members of the combat community are still uncertain if he’s the future of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight division.

This includes UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal, who is fully entrenched in the 170-pound weight class and looking to claw his way back to another title shot against current champion Kamaru Usman. “Gamebred” is widely regarded as one of the best welterweight fighters in the world today and someone who could end up fighting Chimaev down the road.

That said, Masvidal isn’t ready to buy into the hype that has created an aura of invincibility around Khamzat. The undefeated Chechen fighter has looked dominant at times, but Masvidal needs to see “Borz” capture more meaningful wins before he goes all in.

“I don’t think s—t of him,” said Masvidal during a recent sitdown with Logan Paul on on the IMPAULSIVE podcast. “He hasn’t fought anybody, you know. It’s like, you know, he’s got a while to go. He’s got to go fight some guys. They talk big about everybody they think they can get money from. They know that he could bring in those Arabic countries that got a lot of money. But as far as him having fun and beating guys, yeah, you know, I haven’t seen one guy yet that he’s beaten and I’m like, okay, he beat up somebody good.”

Chimaev, who is still just 27 years of age, is coming off a unanimous decision win over former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 earlier this month. Khamzat was a heavy favorite to win the high-profile bout and many people believed he’d slice through “Durinho” like butter, but the fight was extremely competitive. Chimaev ended up capturing the win to push his UFC record to 5-0, but he certainly didn’t look invincible.

Masvidal, 37, is on a completely different trajectory than Khamzat. “Gamebred” has lost his last three trips to the Octagon — albeit two of those were title fight losses to Usman — and has only defeated Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, and Darren Till since 2017. That isn’t a bulletproof track record for Masvidal, but he’s been around this sport long enough and has certainly earned the right to size up any future contender he wants.

Unfortunately for Masvidal, the future is now and Khamzat seems ready to pass everyone else in the division en route to an inevitable title fight against Usman.

Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KO) will get paid handsomely to defend his WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles tomorrow evening (Sat., April 23, 2022) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Wembley Stadium in London, England, when “Gypsy King” takes on Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KO) in a potential retirement fight.

Fury is one of the biggest draws in boxing today and he’ll be compensated as such when he squares off with White in front of a home crowd. White isn’t the biggest star that Fury could have landed as his final counterpart inside of the boxing ring, but he’s established enough to garner a significant payday in what should be a good day at the pay-per-view (PPV) box office.

The winning bid for the heavyweight title fight was reported back in January and came in at $41 million. It’s quite the monetary package put forth by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and one that ensured this heavyweight title fight take place in England. It will be the first time since 2018 that Fury is fighting on home soil.

For Fury, he stands to make a whopping $29.5 million in salary alone for his main event services this weekend. This is just $500K less than what “Gypsy King” made for his high-profile trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder back in Oct. 2021. Of course, Fury has a chance to earn even more money after all of the PPV sales and revenue for the fight is calculated.

For Whyte, he’s set to take home $7.4 million this weekend in what will be his first chance to win an undisputed heavyweight title. Remember, Whyte claimed the WBC interim heavyweight title twice since July 2019. This is by far the most “Body Snatcher” has ever made when it comes to fight purses and the biggest opportunity of his career.

As if this wasn’t enough the winner of Fury vs. Whyte will also earn a win bonus of $4.1 million. If that doesn’t create a sense of urgency for both fighters then nothing will.

---

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of “Fury vs. Whyte” right here. The ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) main card begins at 2 p.m. ET, while Fury and Whyte will make their ring walks around 5 p.m. ET.

For more on “Fury vs. Whyte” and other boxing-related events click here.

Conor McGregor is lobbying for a shot at UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in his return to the Octagon, but “Notorious” may want to pump his brakes.

As the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport today Usman poses a unique test for any fighter, especially someone coming off a long layoff like McGregor. Not to mention the fact that McGregor has never fought a true welterweight and is outmatched on paper by Usman’s wrestling and overwhelming physical prowess.

That said, McGregor remains confident that he can give Usman problems if they ever met inside of the cage. It’s a lofty belief to say the least, but if McGregor wants to return and offer a massive payday for Usman and the promotion it could be hard to pass up for all parties.

The MMA community, including UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, believes that McGregor would be biting off more than he can chew in a title fight with “Nigerian Nightmare.” Rogan recently expanded on his feelings towards the matchup and suggests that McGregor book a “tune-up fight” before signing the dotted line for a bout with Usman.

“If Conor wants the most chance of success, I would say fight a guy who is a little below championship level,” Rogan said on a recent episode of “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.” “Maybe a guy on the come-up, who Conor has an advantage over, but it’s still a competitive fight. Give him a test, but don’t put him in there right away with Usman.”

McGregor, who never seems to shy away from a challenge, is coming off a serious leg injury suffered in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier back at UFC 264. The Irish superstar has been rehabbing ever since and hopes to make a huge statement in his return later this year. McGregor has only captured one victory in his last four trips to the cage so a win in his comeback fight is extremely important.

It may be beneficial for “Notorious” to curb his aspirations to win a third UFC title and get back into the win column before he shoots for the stars. But considering McGregor has bulked up to a welterweight frame it may be hard for him to book a “tune-up fight” that makes sense at 170 pounds.

“I think, honestly, when boxers come back from a long layoff and they come back from a loss, one thing that boxers do that’s smart is they have a tune-up fight,” Rogan said. “I think there’s a reason why they’ve been using tune-up fights forever like astute managers. They know you’ve got to knock the dust off and you’ll be better in the next performance. To jump right into a Dustin Poirier or right into, name it, Michael Chandler, like right into a guy who’s the elite of the elite.

“I think what Conor needs to do is what Conor wants to do. If Conor thinks he can go up and fight Usman and make a big payday, try to become a three-division champion, he should do that. He should do whatever he wants to do, but if I was like a manager to him, and I said what’s the best path to success, the best path to success is like the ‘Cowboy’ fight. No disrespect to ‘Cowboy,’ but that fight turned out to be kind of like a warm-up fight.”

What do you think, fight fans? If McGregor doesn’t fight Usman in his return who else makes sense?

Sound off!

Belal Muhammad leaned on his wrestling and footwork to outlast Vicente Luque last night (Sat., April 16, 2022) at UFC Vegas 51 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, capturing a unanimous decision win in the main event.

In addition to the welterweight rematch, UFC Vegas 51 produced a collection of memorable finishes and high-octane action. Check them out below and let us know which one stood out the most:

• Bantamweight prospect Heili Alateng scored a blistering 47-second TKO over former featherweight fighter Kevin Croom (highlights HERE)
• Drakkar Klose returned after a two-year absence to stop lightweight Brandon Jenkins with a second-round TKO finish
• Former Combate Americas lightweight champion Rafa Garcia scored a big-time finish over Jesse Ronson with a rear-naked choke submission (see it HERE)
• Devin Clark made a statement in his heavyweight debut with a gnarly third-round TKO finish over William Knight
• Andre Fialho put a stop to welterweight contender Miguel Baeza with an emphatic first-round TKO finish (highlights HERE)
• Women’s bantamweight veteran Mayra Bueno Silva outlasted Wu Yanan to the tune of a unanimous decision in a back-and-forth affair

In order to sift through the action and see which fighters took home an extra $50,000, we take a closer look at the official UFC Vegas 51 bonus winners below:

• Fight of the Night: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Wu Yanan
• Performance of the Night: Drakkar Klose
• Performance of the Night: Andre Fialho

For complete UFC Vegas 51 results and coverage click here.

Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KO) returned to the boxing ring to finish Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KO) via 10th-round TKO and walk away with the WBC, WBA, and IBF welterweight titles last night (Sat., April 16, 2022) live on Showtime pay-per-view (PPV) from inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

It took Spence a little longer to get things going due to his lengthy layoff but he started to take over in the middle rounds of the fight with strong left hands and solid work to the body. Ugas did enough to keep Spence from completely mauling him, but “The Truth” kept digging to the body on the inside and took away Ugas’ ability to land heavy shots.

Spence kept getting stronger as the fight went on and started to unload power punches to the head and body at will. Ugas was too tough for his own good and seemed more than willing to stomach all of the damage. However, Ugas’ eye was too busted up in the 10th round and the doctor stepped in to stop the fight.

Check out the full fight video highlights below:

For complete ‘Spence Jr. vs. Ugas’ results and coverage click here.