UFC president Dana White is officially free of COVID-19 after taking the medical advice of long-time friend and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.
White, who revealed earlier this week that hi…
Photo by Mike Stobe/Zuffa LLC
UFC president Dana White is officially free of COVID-19 after taking the medical advice of long-time friend and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.
White, who revealed earlier this week that him and his family tested positive for COVID-19 after a Thanksgiving trip to Maine, told TMZ Sports on Friday that he no longer has the virus. Instead of following the typical protocol for COVID-19 recovery White decided to follow in the footsteps of Joe Rogan, as well as Aaron Rodgers, and take a concoction of doctor prescribed medication. This included a combination of Ivermectin, Z-Pak, Prednisone, and monoclonal antibodies, along with an NAD and Vitamin C drip.
“I feel incredible,” said White. “Today is day 5 since testing positive for COVID, and [Friday at 9 AM], I tested negative for COVID. Thank you, Dr. Joe Rogan!”
White, who has done everything in his power to keep UFC going during the COVID-19 pandemic, was fully vaccinated before contracting the virus over the holiday break. He put his trust in Rogan, who has been ridiculed for his COVID-19 advice in the past, and has presumably defeated the coronavirus in just a matter of days.
“Joe Rogan is a brilliant guy and he talks to the most brilliant people out there,” said White. “He studies, he does his homework on all this stuff, and it’s a fact that this works.”
Despite testing negative for COVID-19 on Friday, White said his real doctor advised him not to attend UFC Vegas 44 this Saturday in Las Vegas (results HERE) and wait for a follow-up on Monday. The UFC president will oblige.
“I’ve had COVID and I couldn’t have had a better week this week,” said White.
Teofimo Lopez may have lost his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles to George Kambosos Jr. last weekend in a Fight of the Year candidate, but things could have been much …
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Teofimo Lopez may have lost his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles to George Kambosos Jr. last weekend in a Fight of the Year candidate, but things could have been much worse for the 24-year-old fighter from New York.
Per a recent report by ESPN, Lopez fought Kambosos with air trapped in his chest. Lopez was originally cleared to fight by the New York State Athletic Commission, but after visiting the emergency room following his title fight loss doctors diagnosed him with “pneumomediastinum” with “extensive air in the retropharyngeal space.”
“He could have died, for sure,” said Dr. Linda Dahl, a prominent Manhattan otolaryngologist (ENT). “How he breathed, I can’t even explain to you. It’s like somebody tied a 300-pound set of weights around his chest … like his neck and chest were in a vise.
That’s how he fought.”
Lopez started experiencing shortness of breath prior to weigh ins on Friday before the fight. However, the former champion believed it was just his asthma acting up and didn’t think to alert medical officials. Lopez was also coming off a bout with COVID-19 back in June so his diagnosis was even harder to pinpoint.
“I thought it was just my asthma,” said Lopez when asked why he didn’t inform the commission of his issues. “I fought through asthma before. If I told everybody, they would’ve cancelled the fight. But I chose not to, because of the amount of pressure I was under. I didn’t want to hear people say, ‘Oh, another postponement.’”
Luckily, Lopez was able to compete 12 hard rounds and didn’t suffer any serious injuries during the fight. He did lose a close split decision to Kambosos, but at least he walked away in relatively good shape. Things could have ended up a lot different for the young boxer.
“The air was surrounding his chest wall and his heart and his neck — places where air is not supposed to be,” said Dahl. “If he was hit in the neck or the chest — a certain way, in a certain place — he could have developed a pneumothorax (collapsed lung). … He would have instantly been down and unable to breathe and needing a chest tube.”
After the fight Lopez protested the decision and made it known that he thought he beat Kambosos fair and square. We now know that Lopez was fighting with a serious ailment and his performance may have been compromised. Either way, the former lightweight champion is looking forward to a new year and a new move to the super lightweight division (140 lbs.).
“I’ve been trying to stay positive,” said Lopez. “But I’ve been losing this whole year.”
Lopez also took to social media on Saturday to post the below message to the combat world:
(ONLY ATHLETES) Understand the amount of pressure we deal with on a daily basis. My health isn’t an excuse but a FACT! I almost died for people who could care less about us but only .#MoreThanAnAthlete
“(ONLY ATHLETES) Understand the amount of pressure we deal with on a daily basis. My health isn’t an excuse but a FACT! I almost died for people who could care less about us but only money.”
The action returns to the Octagon later tonight (Sat., Dec. 4, 2021) when UFC Vegas 44 goes down live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, as surging bantamweight conten…
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
The action returns to the Octagon later tonight (Sat., Dec. 4, 2021) when UFC Vegas 44 goes down live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, as surging bantamweight contender Rob Font meets former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the main event.
In addition to the bantamweight barnburner, lightweight strikers Brad Riddell and Rafael Fiziev will collide an exciting co-headliner, Jimmy Crute will be back in action against fellow light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill, and lightweight veteran Clay Guida will try to get back in the win column in a matchup with Brazilian finisher Leonardo Santos.
Take a look below at UFC Vegas 44’s complete fight card line up and start times:
Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis Alex Morono vs. Mickey Gall
‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN/ESPN+) 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Maki Pitolo vs. Dusko Todorovic Manel Kape vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov Bryan Barberena vs. Darian Weeks Jake Matthews vs. Jeremiah Wells — CANCELED Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Mallory Martin Alonzo Menifield vs. William Knight Claudio Puelles vs. Chris Gruetzemacher Louis Smolka vs. Vince Morales
Here are all the ways to catch the action:
Online
UFC Vegas 44: ‘Font vs. Aldo’ entire fight card can be viewed via the ESPN+ streaming app.
UFC Vegas 44: ‘Font vs. Aldo’ main card and “Prelims” can be viewed via ESPN. Check with your local providers or click HERE for instant access to ESPN.
Check out a list of sports bars and pubs near you that will most likely be showing tonight’s fights CLICK HERE.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 44 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.
We have yet again lost another fight last second due to COVID-19 as a welterweight clash between Jake Matthews and Jeremiah Wells has been removed from UFC Vegas 44 later tonight (Sat., Dec…
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
We have yet again lost another fight last second due to COVID-19 as a welterweight clash between Jake Matthews and Jeremiah Wells has been removed from UFC Vegas 44 later tonight (Sat., Dec. 4, 2021) live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This is according to a recent Instagram post by Wells, who informed fans that his bout with Matthews has been canceled. Wells did in fact pass his own COVID-19 test, but one of his cornermen tested positive for the virus. By UFC rule, the fight must be scrapped.
“Sorry everyone, I just found out that my fight is canceled due to exposure of Covid,” wrote Wells. “My test result came back negative, but one of my corner men had a result of positive. Thank you to everyone that supported me, helped me with this fight camp and cheer me on.”
Wells, 35, made a monstrous UFC debut this past June when he defeated welterweight veteran Warlley Alves via second-round knockout (highlights HERE). He was hoping to build off that win at UFC Vegas 44 and enter 2022 as a dark horse to make the division’s top 15. Matthews, on the other hand, is coming off a submission loss to Sean Brady back in March and was aiming to right the ship heading into next year. Both fighters will have to wait a little longer for their next Octagon appearance.
With the late cancelation UFC Vegas 44 will now proceed with 13 total fights. Check out the updated lineup below:
Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+) 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT
Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis Alex Morono vs. Mickey Gall
‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN/ESPN+) 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT
Maki Pitolo vs. Dusko Todorovic Manel Kape vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov Bryan Barberena vs. Darian Weeks Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Mallory Martin Alonzo Menifield vs. William Knight Claudio Puelles vs. Chris Gruetzemacher Louis Smolka vs. Vince Morales
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 44 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.
Sergio Pettis captured the biggest win of his MMA career last night (Fri., Dec. 3, 2021) at Bellator 272 live on Showtime from inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., when t…
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Sergio Pettis captured the biggest win of his MMA career last night (Fri., Dec. 3, 2021) at Bellator 272 live on Showtime from inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., when the Bellator MMA bantamweight champion finished RIZIN standout Kyoji Horiguchi with an insane comeback knockout in the main event.
Pettis, who was making his first bantamweight title defense after winning the belt over Juan Archuleta this past May, was getting beaten up over the course of the first four rounds. Horiguchi was in control of the fight and seemed to be cruising to a successful return to the Bellator cage. Pettis was bloodied and didn’t have an answer for much of anything.
Fortunately for Pettis, MMA is a game of seconds and he ended up catching Horiguchi with a monstrous spinning backfist deep into Round 4 and knocked the former UFC title challenger out cold. It was one of the most spectacular finishes of 2021 and the biggest moment in the career of Pettis.
“I’m beat up right now,” Pettis told reporters during the Bellator 272 post-fight press conference (h/t MMA Fighting). “The first one through four rounds, he was getting me. He was getting me frustrated. He got me with some interesting movements, some in-and-out plays, and I had to face a lot of adversity tonight to get that finish. And it was perfect. It was beautiful.
“I’ve only got, what, this is like my fourth or fifth knockout ever of my career? So this is 27 fights in and to see this stuff finally happening, it’s beautiful, man.”
Pettis, 28, is now 4-0 since making the transition from UFC to Bellator back in 2020, but the bantamweight champion captured his first knockout win in over eight years Friday night. It wasn’t a finish that Pettis was expecting to produce and he had to hold himself back when Horiguchi hit the ground.
“Once that went down, I wanted to hit him with one more shot — and I realized, oh, he’s really out,” Pettis said. “But it was just my coach [Scott] Cushman too, he was telling me to jab, jab away, and every time he’s getting thrown at, he’s giving a reaction. And I think rounds one through four is what got him comfortable exiting without really defending himself. So I threw that kick, missed, and his exit allowed me to hit that spinning back fist.
“One thing that I lacked for awhile is the belief in myself, and I felt like if I had that trait still tonight, that I wouldn’t have gotten that job done in the fourth or fifth round. I was mentally kind of frustrated out there, but I never allowed it to destroy my positivity out there as well. I knew that I could do something great, and I had two rounds to accomplish that.”
Despite producing one of the best finishes of the year and sparking a craze on social media Pettis wasn’t too happy with the way the fight ended. Sure he got the win and retained his Bellator bantamweight title, but Pettis wasn’t aiming to leave Horiguchi motionless on the canvas.
“It’s not something I want to do,” Pettis said. “I don’t want to hurt anybody so bad that they’re unconscious like that or have damage later on in their life. So it definitely, it’s part of the job unfortunately, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, it’s kind of bogus to say, but it’s better him than me, so that’s how I’ve got to be when I’m out here. I’m very nice person and kind human being, but he would’ve done the same to me.”
“Honestly, it just makes me want to work harder,” Pettis added. “I got dominated the first four rounds. I got some stuff that I need to work on, and I definitely got an awesome knockout, but there’s some stuff that I need to for my career for longevity, and that’s what I’m here for. I’ve hopefully got another eight to 10 years in me.”
Considering Horiguchi was handily winning the main event fight prior to Pettis’ insane knockout finish there’s a chance Bellator decides to book a rematch right away. They could also decide to give Pettis another challenger and test the champ’s resolve against someone new, but that’s up in the air heading into the new year.
“I’m not here to pick anyone, man,” Pettis said. “I’m going to let them pick my opponent for me. I’m not the boss of that. They’ll tell me who I fight and I’ll never say no to a fight.”
For complete Bellator 272 results and coverage click here.
Oscar De La Hoya is still looking to make his return to the boxing ring and is now turning his focus back on former foe Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Remember, De La Hoya was supposed to make his…
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Oscar De La Hoya is still looking to make his return to the boxing ring and is now turning his focus back on former foe Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Remember, De La Hoya was supposed to make his boxing comeback earlier this year in a matchup against former UFC champion Vitor Belfort. However, “Golden Boy” ended up testing positive for COVID-19 about a week before the fight and was replaced by heavyweight boxing legend Evander Holyfield.
De La Hoya has since made a full recovery from COVID-19 and is now looking to schedule his next opponent for 2022. The matchup with Belfort, who demolished Holyfield in a one-sided boxing beatdown, is still a possibility, but De La Hoya is also targeting a potential rematch with Mayweather.
“It could be Floyd Mayweather,” De La Hoya told TMZ Sports when asked about his next fight. “It wouldn’t be an exhibition, with somebody like Floyd, it would be a real fight. It’s probably the biggest fight that you could make today that would generate tons of money, so that would be nice.”
De La Hoya, 48, first tested his luck against Mayweather all the way back in 2007 when he was still competing at the highest level. “Golden Boy” ended up losing to “Money” via split decision and relinquished his WBC light middleweight title in the process. De La Hoya already presented the idea of a $100 million rematch with Mayweather earlier this year following his bout with COVID-19, but he’s pushing the envelope once again.
“Look, he’s the top P4P fighter in the world. Right now, he’s the best, whether he comes back or not. It would be a pleasure to be in the ring with him and just make a huge event out of it and a great fight for the fans. If after the holidays we can sit down and talk and (hopefully) make something happen,” De La Hoya added.
Mayweather, who won 12 more fights after his win over De La Hoya, currently sits at 50-0 in his professional boxing career. The pound-for-pound legend has been more interested in exhibition matches against the likes of Logan Paul and Tenshin Nasukawa of late, but maybe Mayweather would be open to the idea of fighting De La Hoya once more if the money was right.
We’ll have to wait and see if the two boxing legends lock horns once again as 2022 rolls around.
