CM Punk is eying a return to the Octagon, UFC President Dana White confirmed Friday.
Speaking with the Associated Press’ Dan Gelston, White said Punk wants to fight again in UFC and that the company plans to follow through on that aim.
“I like that guy…
CM Punk is eying a return to the Octagon, UFC President Dana White confirmed Friday.
Speaking with the Associated Press’ Dan Gelston, White said Punk wants to fight again in UFC and that the company plans to follow through on that aim.
“I like that guy. He’s a good dude,” White said. “He wants one more. He wants to get another shot. I’m going to give it to him.”
White added it remains to be seen whom Punk would fight. WWEcruiserweight star Gentleman Jack Gallagher threw his name in the hat while also throwing shade at Punk for his first-round defeat to Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September 2016:
On merit, there’s little reason to give Punk another fight in UFC. He lasted 2:14 before submitting to a rear-naked choke by Gall. According to UFC.com, Gall landed 26 total strikes and 20 significant strikes, while Punk had six and zero, respectively in those categories.
But Punk’s star power makes him an attractive prospect for the company.
According to theWrestling Observer Newsletter(viaMMAPayout.com), UFC 203 had the second-biggest buyrate (475,000) on a pay-per-view card without either ConorMcGregor or Ronda Rousey in 2016. UFC 200 had a little over one million PPV buys, and that event included Daniel Cormier, Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva.
Punk brings UFC extra mainstream appeal at a time when the company is somewhat starved for fighters with broad popularity outside MMA.
Speaking with Gelston, White admitted he’s unsure whether McGregor will ever fight in UFC again after he madeat least $30 millionfrom his fight with Floyd Mayweather. Rousey‘s MMA career appears to be over as well. Meanwhile, Jon Jones is facing a multiyear suspension afterfailing a drug test.
Even though Punk’s second fight would likely provide fewer financial returns than his debut, putting him back in the Octagon is one way for UFC to guarantee itself a solid buyrate.
Jeremy Stephens knocked out Doo Ho Choi to prevail in the main event of UFC Fight Night 124 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. In the second of the two main event fights, Jessica-Rose Clark earned a unanimous decision over Paige VanZant.
Stephens p…
Jeremy Stephens knocked out Doo Ho Choi to prevail in the main event of UFC Fight Night 124 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. In the second of the two main event fights, Jessica-Rose Clark earned a unanimous decision over Paige VanZant.
Stephens provided the most excitement on the night as he dispatched of Choi in the second round.
The turning point came when Stephens hit Choi with a hard right hand. That sent the 26-year-old to the canvas, where Stephens followed up with a right elbow. Choi tried to keep Stephens back, but Stephens landed another vicious right-handed shot.
The referee stepped in after the 31-year-old Iowa native hit a series of left elbows without reply.
The UFC shared a replay of the final sequence:
Below are the full results from UFC Fight Night 124 and a brief overview of how the rest of the main card shook out.
UFC Fight Night 124 Results
Main Card
Jeremy Stephens def. Doo Ho Choi, TKO (Round 2, 2:36)
Jessica-Rose Clark def. Paige VanZant, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Kamaru Usman def. Emil Meek, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Darren Elkins def. Michael Johnson, submission (Round 2, 2:22)
Preliminary Card
James Krause def. Alex White, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marco Polo Reyes def. Matt Frevola, knockout (Round 1, 1:00)
Mads Burnell def. Mike Santiago, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
The biggest moment of the night didn’t involve any of the fighters on the card.
Former welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes walked down to the Octagon nearly seven months after a truck he was driving collided with a train. Doctors placed Hughes in a coma shortly thereafter.
The UFC shared the tribute video that played before Hughes’ arrival, as well as Hughes’ arena entrance to overwhelming cheers from the St. Louis crowd:
The scene moved many on social media:
In the co-main event, VanZant suffered her third defeat in her last four fights.
An arm injury played a role in the result. Fox Sports: UFC shared a clip that showed that VanZant informed her corner she suffered a fracture in her right arm in the first round:
The fracture appeared to come when she misfired somewhat on a spinning back fist, with her right wrist and forearm catching Clark in the head.
Since she was essentially fighting with one arm, VanZant was unable to land many significant blows, and she couldn’t get too bold with offense for fear of aggravating the injury.
That opened a door for Clark, who remained careful so as not to receive a left jab or kick from VanZant. The 30-year-old picked her spots well and connected with enough to be the clear winner.
The main card began with a bit of an upset as Darren Elkins submitted St. Louis native Michael Johnson in the second round.
Johnson appeared to be in the driver’s seat after looking like the stronger fighter in the first round. He maintained that advantage until Elkins got Johnson on his back and locked in a rear-naked choke. With nowhere to go, Johnson had little choice but to tap out.
UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman was among those calling for Elkins to get a marquee fight after notching his sixth win in a row:
Whereas Elkins’ turnaround was a big surprise, Kamaru Usman delivered exactly what was expected and largely dominated Emil Meek. Usman was especially adept at getting Meek on the ground, registering eight takedowns in the fight, according to UFC.com. Meek, on the other hand, didn’t even get an official takedown attempt.
Usman’s strategy wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, but it’s hard to argue with the results. MMAjunkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu and former MMA fighter Dan Hardy offered differing opinions regarding the action inside the Octagon:
Hardy’s assessment brought to mind UFC president Dana White‘s comments after Tyron Woodley beat Demian Maia at UFC 214 last July. White lamented how he thought Woodley could’ve wrapped things up before the fight went to the judges’ scorecards.
As good as Usman performed, it wasn’t all that unfair to wonder how good he would’ve looked if he had been a little more aggressive with Meek.
After the fight, Usman called out Colby Covington. Covington would be a stern test for The Nigerian Nightmare, and it could prove an opportunity for him to silence his skeptics.
UFC fighter Jessica Penne accepted the 18-month suspension the United States Anti-Doping Agency levied against her after she tested positive for a banned substance.
USADA confirmed Penne will serve the suspension, which went into effect beginning…
UFC fighter Jessica Penne accepted the 18-month suspension the United States Anti-Doping Agency levied against her after she tested positive for a banned substance.
USADA confirmed Penne will serve the suspension, which went into effect beginning April 23, 2017. That was the day after she lost to Danielle Taylor at UFC Fight Night 108.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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Cris Cyborg successfully defended her women’s featherweight championship against Holly Holm to close out UFC 219 on Saturday night in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
All three judges scored the fight for Cyborg, giving the 32-year-old her fourth victor…
Cris Cyborg successfully defended her women’s featherweight championship against Holly Holm to close out UFC 219 on Saturday night in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
All three judges scored the fight for Cyborg, giving the 32-year-old her fourth victory in the UFC and the 19th win of her career.
In the other headlining fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov dominated Edson Barboza in a unanimous decision to further cement himself as one of the most dangerous contenders in the UFC lightweight division.
Neil Magny def. Carlos Condit, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Khalil Rountree, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Myles Jury def. Rick Glenn, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marvin Vettori vs. Omari Akhmedov, majority draw (28-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Matheus Nicolau def. Louis Smolka, unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
Tim Elliott def. Mark De La Rosa, submission (Round 2, 1:41)
Holm’s blueprint against Cyborg was clear. She wasn’t going to fight fire with fire and instead waited for the Brazilian to try to go on the offensive. In addition, Cyborg had gone past the third round just once in her career, so Holm wanted the fight to get into the later rounds, when she might be able to capitalize on a fatigued Cyborg.
Cyborg largely neutralized Holm’s strategy by displaying an impressive level of technique to gain an edge on Holm. Because 16 of her victories came via knockout, it’s easy to forget how good of a fighter Cyborg is. She’s incredibly strong and equally as skilled in the Octagon, and that is a nearly impossible combination for opponents to overcome.
While this was the toughest test Cyborg has faced in MMA, it also felt somewhat like she didn’t get pushed.Holmdid the best she could after moving up a weight class, but she wasn’t good enough to topple the champion.
Former Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith thought Cyborg appeared largely unfazed despite getting bloodied during the fight:
Cyborg’s dominance may present a conundrum for the UFC. ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto highlighted what is a dearth of serious challengers in the women’s featherweight division:
Cyborg is a massive star and a fantastic fighter, but she needs to have compelling opponents to continue drawing interest from fans. The UFC may have a difficult time figuring out a way to maximize her presence in the immediate future before more women can establish themselves in the division.
Nurmagomedov prevailed in dominant fashion over Barboza, as evidenced by the judges’ final scores. A brief sequence in the third round essentially summed up the fight. Barboza landed what might’ve been an effective spinning heel kick in another situation. Nurmagomedov, however, shrugged it off like it was nothing.
The UFC shared a replay of the moment:
Former UFC star Brendan Schaub didn’t envy Barboza:
The numbers speak for themselves. According to UFC.com, Nurmagomedov connected with 154 total punches, 89 of which were significant strikes. Barboza, by comparison, got 25 significant strikes in on Nurmagomedov.
The 29-year-old Russian more than lived up to the hype in Las Vegas, and the question now becomes whether he gets the fight with either lightweight champion Conor McGregor or interim champ Tony Ferguson.
Nurmagomedov was raring to go immediately after taking down Barboza.
“If UFC give me one hour rest, I can fight Conor or Tony, that’s no problem; I feel great,” he said, per MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta.
Considering he has fought just three times since defeating Rafael dos Anjos in April 2014, Nurmagomedov may need another win or two to pad his total before a date with McGregor or Ferguson becomes a reality. With that said, it’s seemingly only a matter of time before Nurmagomedov gets a shot at the lightweight belt.
The main card opened with Carlos Condit’s first fight in the Octagon in over a year. His rust showed a bit as Neil Magny was the superior fighter. Condit looked good in the early round but ceded the advantage to Magny over the final two.
Not only was Magny the better striker, but he also had a great game plan to repel Condit’s attacks. According to UFC.com, Magny landed three more significant strikes (53) than Condit (50) and registered two takedowns to Condit’s zero.
MMA Fighting’s Chuck Mindenhall lamented what he believes is a lack of respect granted to Magny:
By beating Condit, the 30-year-old may be able to receive the marquee welterweight fight that has eluded him so far.
Condit, on the other hand, may have to seriously ponder his future in mixed martial arts. At 33 years old, he’s not necessarily over the hill, but he has lost six of his last eight fights. It’s hard to see how he’ll be able to climb up the welterweight rankings anytime soon, which undoubtedly hinders his prospective matchups in the UFC.
Count Chuck Liddell among the skeptics about whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. will ever step inside the Octagon for a UFC fight.
“C’mon man—he can’t fight in the UFC,” Liddell said, per TMZ Sports. “Why would he do that? He’s just gonna get hurt.”
&n…
Count Chuck Liddell among the skeptics about whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. will ever step inside the Octagon for a UFC fight.
“C’mon man—he can’t fight in the UFC,” Liddell said, per TMZ Sports. “Why would he do that? He’s just gonna get hurt.”
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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UFC president Dana White said he plans to meet with CM Punk in Detroit but failed to elaborate on the subject of their upcoming conversation.
“CM Punk is coming to Detroit and wants to talk to me,” White said, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Revie…
UFC president Dana White said he plans to meet with CM Punk in Detroit but failed to elaborate on the subject of their upcoming conversation.
“CM Punk is coming to Detroit and wants to talk to me,” White said, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I love the guy. We’ll see what he’s doing.”
The Motor City is set to host UFC 218 at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.
White’s comments could mean a number of things.
He and Punk may discuss planning Punk’s second fight in UFC, or at the very least leave open the possibility of the former WWE star stepping inside the Octagon again. Of course, the complete opposite scenario could transpire, with Punk and White coming to an agreement on ending Punk’s brief UFC tenure.
After all, Punk hasn’t fought professionally for over a year, and he didn’t look particularly good in his first-round defeat to Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September 2016.
Punk’s trainer, Duke Roufus, indicated the 39-year-old was gearing up for a return to UFC when he posted a photo on Instagram that included the caption, “Working on his next Fight.”
Punk certainly has plenty of name recognition, which could be of benefit to UFC with big questions hovering around two of the company’s biggest stars. Jon Jones is facing a lengthy suspension and Ronda Rousey’s MMA career is up in the air.
Adding Punk to a pay-per-view card would immediately draw in some of the more casual fans of the sport.
Still, Punk isn’t getting any younger and the longer he’s removed from having wrestled in WWE, the law of diminishing returns is likely to become a bigger issue.
At the very least, White and Punk could provide a more definitive answer as to his future with UFC with the conversation this weekend.
CM Punk is eying a return to the Octagon, UFC President Dana White confirmed Friday.