Now that UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is once again scheduled to fight former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 on Nov. 4 from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, the UFC’s disgruntled middleweight division is officially free to complain and protest. After all, GSP hasn’t fought in nearly four years and is jumping into an immediate title shot in a weight class higher than his normal stomping ground. The matchup is disliked by many, especially former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold who recently pointed out Bisping’s lack of competition over the past year.
“Bisping has fought nobody in the top 10 for the last year-and-a-half and still isn’t going to fight anybody in the top 10,” Rockhold told ESPN. “Where does that put him? I think they should pull the title from guys like that who don’t fight anybody at the top. They pulled the title from [Germaine de Randamie] because she wouldn’t fight the No. 1 contender. Why is this any f–king different?”
Remember, Bisping defeated Rockhold at UFC 199 via first-round knockout to claim the title, then defended it against a retiring Dan Henderson at UFC 204, and now is set to take on a returning fighter who has never competed at 185 pounds. Whichever way you look at it, that’s an obscure path for a champion.
“We’ll see if Georges even makes it to the fight,” Rockhold added. “The guy has been out for so long, who knows where his head or his body is at, or if he actually makes it to that date. I’m going to go out and do what I have to do and we’ll see where everything is at that moment in time.”
As for Rockhold, he’ll have the opportunity to grab his first win since losing his belt to Bisping when he takes on David Branch at UFC Fight Night 116 on Sept. 16 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It may not be the opponent Rockhold wanted, or even needed, to get back into title contention entering 2018, but one who matched up well with his Octagon return.
“I tried waiting for the right fight, but September is the most logical main event spot. I’m a five-round fighter. That’s what I fight,” Rockhold said. “That’s the true tell of a fighter. They wanted Yoel Romero, I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do Yoel Romero, September 16.’ His camp tried to delay, said they needed three more weeks for a three-round fight specifically.”
“I want to fight a five-round fight. That’s what it is. Everyone knows Yoel has problems going the five. I don’t. I’m not going to force a fight with a guy. I’m not going to leave it up to the judges. I’m going to be technical, I’m going to be solid and I’m going to fight a real man’s fight. There’s a reason championship fights are five rounds.”
If Rockhold can get back into the win column and prove he’s still the top dog in the UFC’s fluctuating middleweight division then he’ll have no issues locking down a title shot by this time next year.
Now that UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is once again scheduled to fight former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 on Nov. 4 from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, the UFC’s disgruntled middleweight division is officially free to complain and protest. After all, GSP hasn’t fought in nearly four years and is jumping into an immediate title shot in a weight class higher than his normal stomping ground. The matchup is disliked by many, especially former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold who recently pointed out Bisping’s lack of competition over the past year.
“Bisping has fought nobody in the top 10 for the last year-and-a-half and still isn’t going to fight anybody in the top 10,” Rockhold told ESPN. “Where does that put him? I think they should pull the title from guys like that who don’t fight anybody at the top. They pulled the title from [Germaine de Randamie] because she wouldn’t fight the No. 1 contender. Why is this any f–king different?”
Remember, Bisping defeated Rockhold at UFC 199 via first-round knockout to claim the title, then defended it against a retiring Dan Henderson at UFC 204, and now is set to take on a returning fighter who has never competed at 185 pounds. Whichever way you look at it, that’s an obscure path for a champion.
“We’ll see if Georges even makes it to the fight,” Rockhold added. “The guy has been out for so long, who knows where his head or his body is at, or if he actually makes it to that date. I’m going to go out and do what I have to do and we’ll see where everything is at that moment in time.”
As for Rockhold, he’ll have the opportunity to grab his first win since losing his belt to Bisping when he takes on David Branch at UFC Fight Night 116 on Sept. 16 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It may not be the opponent Rockhold wanted, or even needed, to get back into title contention entering 2018, but one who matched up well with his Octagon return.
“I tried waiting for the right fight, but September is the most logical main event spot. I’m a five-round fighter. That’s what I fight,” Rockhold said. “That’s the true tell of a fighter. They wanted Yoel Romero, I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do Yoel Romero, September 16.’ His camp tried to delay, said they needed three more weeks for a three-round fight specifically.”
“I want to fight a five-round fight. That’s what it is. Everyone knows Yoel has problems going the five. I don’t. I’m not going to force a fight with a guy. I’m not going to leave it up to the judges. I’m going to be technical, I’m going to be solid and I’m going to fight a real man’s fight. There’s a reason championship fights are five rounds.”
If Rockhold can get back into the win column and prove he’s still the top dog in the UFC’s fluctuating middleweight division then he’ll have no issues locking down a title shot by this time next year.
The moment finally came for Cris Cyborg last night (Sat., July 29, 2017) at UFC 214 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., when she got her chance to hoist UFC gold in a main card matchup against former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger. It was extremely difficult to land Cyborg an opponent for this women’s featherweight bout, so much respect goes out to a very game Evinger.
As expected, Cyborg attacked early. She was more patient than her usual self, but still landed heavy strikes when she wanted to. Evinger did a pretty good job at temporarily tying the action up along the cage, as well as securing a very brief takedown, but the Brazilian striker battered the former Invicta FC champ with knees and combinations in bunches.
Cyborg continued to take her time in this fight, as Evinger failed to find offense in any capacity. She surprisingly ate more shots than many people predicted, but was too slow to the punch whenever she opened up. Cyborg willingly picked her shots and found comfort in attacking the inside of Evinger’s legs.
In Round 3, Cyborg decided to turn it up a notch. The Brazilian striker slammed head kicks and right hands into Evinger that caused her to drop to the canvas. Cyborg continued to press the action on the feet before landing a superman punch along the cage. To follow, she dropped Evinger with a brutal knee that forced the former bantamweight to cover up. The referee quickly jumped in for the third-round TKO stoppage.
Check out the full fight video highlights above courtesy of UFC.
With this win, Cyborg finally cashed in to earn herself a UFC championship. The women’s featherweight division is going to be tough to fill, but as long as Cyborg reigns atop the crop there will be good reason to watch. Adding a UFC title to her mantle may have solidified her legacy as the best female fighter ever.
For complete UFC 214 results and coverage click here.
The moment finally came for Cris Cyborg last night (Sat., July 29, 2017) at UFC 214 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., when she got her chance to hoist UFC gold in a main card matchup against former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger. It was extremely difficult to land Cyborg an opponent for this women’s featherweight bout, so much respect goes out to a very game Evinger.
As expected, Cyborg attacked early. She was more patient than her usual self, but still landed heavy strikes when she wanted to. Evinger did a pretty good job at temporarily tying the action up along the cage, as well as securing a very brief takedown, but the Brazilian striker battered the former Invicta FC champ with knees and combinations in bunches.
Cyborg continued to take her time in this fight, as Evinger failed to find offense in any capacity. She surprisingly ate more shots than many people predicted, but was too slow to the punch whenever she opened up. Cyborg willingly picked her shots and found comfort in attacking the inside of Evinger’s legs.
In Round 3, Cyborg decided to turn it up a notch. The Brazilian striker slammed head kicks and right hands into Evinger that caused her to drop to the canvas. Cyborg continued to press the action on the feet before landing a superman punch along the cage. To follow, she dropped Evinger with a brutal knee that forced the former bantamweight to cover up. The referee quickly jumped in for the third-round TKO stoppage.
Check out the full fight video highlights above courtesy of UFC.
With this win, Cyborg finally cashed in to earn herself a UFC championship. The women’s featherweight division is going to be tough to fill, but as long as Cyborg reigns atop the crop there will be good reason to watch. Adding a UFC title to her mantle may have solidified her legacy as the best female fighter ever.
For complete UFC 214 results and coverage click here.
We are roughly one week away from one of the biggest rematches in mixed martial arts (MMA) history, as former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones aims to take out current divisional king Daniel Cormier for a second time when the two meet at UFC 214 on July 29 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It will mark just the second time “Bones” is competing inside of the Octagon since defeating “DC” via unanimous decision back at UFC 182 in 2015.
In order to prepare fight fans for the impending chaos, UFC has released two separate, yet equally awesome, promo videos showcasing the motives behind both Jones and Cormier. Jones’ “Pain” promo can be seen above, while Cormier’s “Respect” promo can be seen below.
While Cormier vs. Jones 2 is scheduled to headline UFC 214, the fight card will also feature a welterweight title fight between current champion Tyron Woodley and top contender Demian Maia, as well as a women’s featherweight title fight between former Invicta FC champions Cris Cyborg and Tonya Evinger.
We are roughly one week away from one of the biggest rematches in mixed martial arts (MMA) history, as former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones aims to take out current divisional king Daniel Cormier for a second time when the two meet at UFC 214 on July 29 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It will mark just the second time “Bones” is competing inside of the Octagon since defeating “DC” via unanimous decision back at UFC 182 in 2015.
In order to prepare fight fans for the impending chaos, UFC has released two separate, yet equally awesome, promo videos showcasing the motives behind both Jones and Cormier. Jones’ “Pain” promo can be seen above, while Cormier’s “Respect” promo can be seen below.
While Cormier vs. Jones 2 is scheduled to headline UFC 214, the fight card will also feature a welterweight title fight between current champion Tyron Woodley and top contender Demian Maia, as well as a women’s featherweight title fight between former Invicta FC champions Cris Cyborg and Tonya Evinger.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the pay-per-view (PPV) market this Saturday night (July 8, 2017) with UFC 213: “Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2,” taking place inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In preparation for the action, the promotion has released the latest and greatest episode of “Embedded.”
From the official YouTube description:
On Episode 5 of UFC 213 Embedded, the athletes use a variety of methods to make weight. Bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko stays warm while training, while reigning champion Amanda Nunes turns her hotel room into a walk-in sauna and dance party. Interim middleweight title challenger Robert Whittaker kicks off a makeshift soccer game in the gym to keep himself moving. Old-school wrestler Yoel Romero reaches the middleweight limit via “bullets and puddles.” On Friday, the hard work proves worth it when the fighters hit their numbers at the official weigh-in, then face off against one another later for the fans at Park Theater. UFC 213 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the two title fights at UFC 213: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 taking place Saturday, July 8 on Pay-Per-View.
If you missed episodes one, two, three or four, click here, here, hereandhere.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 213 click here.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the pay-per-view (PPV) market this Saturday night (July 8, 2017) with UFC 213: “Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2,” taking place inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In preparation for the action, the promotion has released the latest and greatest episode of “Embedded.”
From the official YouTube description:
On Episode 5 of UFC 213 Embedded, the athletes use a variety of methods to make weight. Bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko stays warm while training, while reigning champion Amanda Nunes turns her hotel room into a walk-in sauna and dance party. Interim middleweight title challenger Robert Whittaker kicks off a makeshift soccer game in the gym to keep himself moving. Old-school wrestler Yoel Romero reaches the middleweight limit via “bullets and puddles.” On Friday, the hard work proves worth it when the fighters hit their numbers at the official weigh-in, then face off against one another later for the fans at Park Theater. UFC 213 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the two title fights at UFC 213: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 taking place Saturday, July 8 on Pay-Per-View.
If you missed episodes one, two, three or four, click here, here, hereandhere.
Unstoppable UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero will put his 8-0 Octagon record on the line at UFC 213 on July 8th live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, when he takes on streaking Aussie Robert Whittaker for the 185-pound interim title.
In effort to pump up combat enthusiasts for the impending championship bout, UFC has opened up its vault and released Romero’s Octagon debut from UFC on FOX 7 in 2013 (shown above). The Cuban wrestler took on Clifford Starks and wasted no time putting him away. In just over 90 seconds, “Soldier of God” landed a devastating flying knee followed by a few insurance punches to take Starks out via first-round knockout. It was Romero’s first appearance at 185 pounds and remains his quickest finish under UFC/Strikeforce rule.
While Whittaker is a natural striker capable of fusing speed and power into one beautiful arsenal, Romero is more than capable of taking any middleweight out on the feet. He may have to eat a ton of shots to do so at UFC 213, but fight fans could very well see another flashy finish by the bulky 40-year-old.
UFC 213 will be headlined by a women’s bantamweight title fight pitting current champion Amanda Nunes against No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko.
Unstoppable UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero will put his 8-0 Octagon record on the line at UFC 213 on July 8th live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, when he takes on streaking Aussie Robert Whittaker for the 185-pound interim title.
In effort to pump up combat enthusiasts for the impending championship bout, UFC has opened up its vault and released Romero’s Octagon debut from UFC on FOX 7 in 2013 (shown above). The Cuban wrestler took on Clifford Starks and wasted no time putting him away. In just over 90 seconds, “Soldier of God” landed a devastating flying knee followed by a few insurance punches to take Starks out via first-round knockout. It was Romero’s first appearance at 185 pounds and remains his quickest finish under UFC/Strikeforce rule.
While Whittaker is a natural striker capable of fusing speed and power into one beautiful arsenal, Romero is more than capable of taking any middleweight out on the feet. He may have to eat a ton of shots to do so at UFC 213, but fight fans could very well see another flashy finish by the bulky 40-year-old.
UFC 213 will be headlined by a women’s bantamweight title fight pitting current champion Amanda Nunes against No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko.
It was revealed earlier this month that an unlikely speed bump was slowing the progression of Conor McGregor’s superfight with Floyd Mayweather on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. That momentum stopper came in the form of rapper Ice Cube, who apparently booked his BIG3 basketball tournament for the same day inside T-Mobile Arena. Cube was willing to hand over the venue for the right price, but fight fans really didn’t know how they negotiations would go down. Luckily, UFC president Dana White finally shed light on the double booking in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.
“The Ice Cube thing was blown way out of proportion,” White said. “Ice Cube and I got that whole thing squashed. The reality, I guess Ice Cube thought that I was talking (expletive) about him or Floyd was talking (expletive) about him. Dude, I’m the biggest Ice Cube fan in the world, man. He’s a great guy. I watched ‘NWA’ 25,000 times. I’m a huge Ice Cube fan.”
If Ice Cube’s basketball tournament was going to put the kibosh on Mayweather vs. McGregor happening inside T-Mobile Arena then that would have been a pretty big deal. T-Mobile Arena is the ideal venue for such a monumental event. Fortunately, both sides have seemingly come to an agreement.
“He and I talked, and we got the whole thing – I don’t want to say squashed because there was never anything there – but we got it all worked out,” White explained. “But that whole thing with Ice Cube was being blown way out of proportion, number one. And number two, everything is smooth and going in the right direction.”
Now that the double booking has been worked out and the superfight can proceed without any unnecessary hiccups, White, McGregor, and Team Mayweather will have to decide who will referee the action this summer, as long as it’s not this guy.
It was revealed earlier this month that an unlikely speed bump was slowing the progression of Conor McGregor’s superfight with Floyd Mayweather on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. That momentum stopper came in the form of rapper Ice Cube, who apparently booked his BIG3 basketball tournament for the same day inside T-Mobile Arena. Cube was willing to hand over the venue for the right price, but fight fans really didn’t know how they negotiations would go down. Luckily, UFC president Dana White finally shed light on the double booking in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.
“The Ice Cube thing was blown way out of proportion,” White said. “Ice Cube and I got that whole thing squashed. The reality, I guess Ice Cube thought that I was talking (expletive) about him or Floyd was talking (expletive) about him. Dude, I’m the biggest Ice Cube fan in the world, man. He’s a great guy. I watched ‘NWA’ 25,000 times. I’m a huge Ice Cube fan.”
If Ice Cube’s basketball tournament was going to put the kibosh on Mayweather vs. McGregor happening inside T-Mobile Arena then that would have been a pretty big deal. T-Mobile Arena is the ideal venue for such a monumental event. Fortunately, both sides have seemingly come to an agreement.
“He and I talked, and we got the whole thing – I don’t want to say squashed because there was never anything there – but we got it all worked out,” White explained. “But that whole thing with Ice Cube was being blown way out of proportion, number one. And number two, everything is smooth and going in the right direction.”
Now that the double booking has been worked out and the superfight can proceed without any unnecessary hiccups, White, McGregor, and Team Mayweather will have to decide who will referee the action this summer, as long as it’s not this guy.
