Author: Joseph Zucker

Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller Reportedly Pleads Guilty in Domestic Violence Case

Former mixed martial arts star Jason “Mayhem” Miller pleaded guilty in a domestic violence case, TMZ Sports reported Tuesday. 
According to the report, authorities charged Miller with five felony counts of domestic violence and a felony count of v…

Former mixed martial arts star Jason “Mayhem” Miller pleaded guilty in a domestic violence case, TMZ Sports reported Tuesday. 

According to the report, authorities charged Miller with five felony counts of domestic violence and a felony count of vandalism. He reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to “corporal injury to a spouse/cohabitant,” and he received a three-year probation and a four-year suspended sentence in state prison.

Miller was 23-10 over an MMA career that included stints in UFC, Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting. He also hosted the MTV show Bully Beatdown that ran from 2009 until 2012.

A jury in Orange County, California, previously acquitted Miller of felony domestic violence stemming from a 2013 incident in which prosecutors alleged he had struck his ex-girlfriend.

TMZ Sports reported his guilty plea Tuesday was connected to allegations he was violent with three different girlfriends between 2015 and 2017. He also allegedly damaged the cell phones of two girlfriends so they’d be unable to call the police, for which he was facing misdemeanor charges.

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Conor McGregor’s Next UFC Fight Date Will Be Decided This Week, Says Dana White

UFC president Dana White confirmed to the Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire UFC should have an idea of Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon by the end of the week.
White told Pugmire his focus is on determining if McGregor could fight at UFC 219 …

UFC president Dana White confirmed to the Los Angeles Times‘ Lance Pugmire UFC should have an idea of Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon by the end of the week.

White told Pugmire his focus is on determining if McGregor could fight at UFC 219 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.

“That’s all this week,” White said. “We’re working on that [main event]. I have to have it done by the end of the week.” 

McGregor is approaching a year since his last fight in UFC. He beat Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 on Nov. 12, 2016, to capture the UFC lightweight championship.

The 29-year-old took a brief hiatus from mixed martial arts to train for his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr., who won by TKO in the 10th round.

Pugmire wrote a matchup with Tony Ferguson would make the most sense for McGregor in his first MMA fight back. Ferguson is the No. 1-ranked challenger in UFC’s lightweight rankings, and he won the interim lightweight title by beating Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in October.

In an interview with Ireland-based entertainment.ie (h/t MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti), McGregor expressed an interest in fighting Ferguson without mentioning him by name.

“I know there are many contenders in the UFC,” McGregor said. “There are many boxing contenders as well. What interests me is certainly a UFC bout, certainly a defense of my lightweight title. There is a fighter with the interim lightweight belt. I feel that will be next. We’ll see how negotiations go.”

Regardless of his opponent, UFC will be happy to have McGregor back in MMA after his short-lived transition to boxing. Four of UFC’s five biggest pay-per-view buy rates came with McGregor in the headlining fight.

McGregor is UFC’s biggest star, and he’s even more valuable to the company with Jon Jones facing a lengthy suspension and Ronda Rousey’s MMA career potentially over. His return to UFC—especially if he’s fighting Ferguson—would almost certainly be among the company’s highest-grossing events of the year.

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UFC Fighter Henry Cejudo Details Narrow Escape from NorCal Fires

Mixed martial arts fighter Henry Cejudo revealed he had to escape a burning hotel when he was caught in the middle of the wildfires that have spread across northern California. 
In an interview Monday with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, …

Mixed martial arts fighter Henry Cejudo revealed he had to escape a burning hotel when he was caught in the middle of the wildfires that have spread across northern California. 

In an interview Monday with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Cejudo said he had fallen back asleep after hearing the fire alarm go off in his hotel. He awoke to find smoke filling his room and looked out his window to see half of the hotel was on fire.

“I was scared,” Cejudo said (via MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi). “I thought I felt adrenaline fighting. This is something I’ve never felt before. I was kind of in survival mode. I’m a fighter, I’m a wrestler. The only thing I know how to do is survive. I was thinking this is a horrible way to die, man. Maybe I deserve to die, but not like this.”

Cejudo escaped the hotel by jumping out of his second-story room and onto a tree branch that was on fire. He jumped down from the branch and ran toward a police car he saw in the distance. However, the police car left the scene before he reached it. Instead, he got a ride to safety from a passing fire truck that spotted him.

Cejudo confirmed to Helwani last week he suffered burns to his right foot during the escape.

Because he had little time to exit his room, Cejudo was forced to leave behind many of his possessions, including his gold medal from the 2008 Summer Olympics, an Olympic ring and a one-of-a-kind belt his mentor had made for him. All three were lost in the fire.

“I think they’ll eventually find it in the rubbish,” Cejudo said of his gold medal, per ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto. “Everybody is pretty sentimental about it. They’re not letting anyone into the area right now, but I think they’ll dig for it when they can.”

Cejudo also confirmed to Okamoto he still plans to fight Sergio Pettis at UFC 218 on Dec. 2 in Detroit.

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Dana White Doubts There Will Be Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Rematch

While Floyd Mayweather’s victory over Conor McGregor surpassed many fans’ expectations in terms of entertainment value, UFC President Dana White is skeptical about the odds of a rematch between the two stars. 
Asked about the possible bout on Pard…

While Floyd Mayweather‘s victory over Conor McGregor surpassed many fans’ expectations in terms of entertainment value, UFC President Dana White is skeptical about the odds of a rematch between the two stars. 

Asked about the possible bout on Pardon My Take (h/t Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Chavez), White said, “I never say never but I doubt it.”

It’s not like fans were left with any doubt regarding who was the superior boxer following Mayweather’s TKO victory in August. McGregor looked good early on, but he ran out of gas midway through the fight, making the gulf in class between him and McGregor clear.

Money talks, though. ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael reported in August that Mayweather was set to earn at least $100 million from the fight, with his total payout likely surpassing $200 million. McGregor, meanwhile, made a minimum of $30 million that likely climbed above $100 million.

The allure of a massive payday could get Mayweather and McGregor back in the ring, even if a rematch is largely unnecessary.

White’s comments about a possible rematch aren’t all that surprising since he arguably has a vested interest in getting McGregor away from a boxing ring.

McGregor is one of UFC’s biggest names. Four of the company’s five biggest buy rates have come with the lightweight champion headlining the card. With Ronda Rousey’s mixed martial arts career in flux and Jon Jones facing a lengthy suspension, UFC needs all the star power it can get.

McGregor is already approaching nearly a year since his last fight in UFC—a victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November. The last thing UFC needs is for him to continue his boxing career, thus necessitating even more time away from the Octagon.

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Tyron Woodley May Undergo Surgery for Shoulder Injury; Considering Options

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has a partial tear of his labrum, and surgery is an option, SiriusXM Radio’s R.J. Clifford reported Tuesday. 
According to Clifford, Woodley will explore all of his medical options before deciding whether or…

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has a partial tear of his labrum, and surgery is an option, SiriusXM Radio’s R.J. Clifford reported Tuesday. 

According to Clifford, Woodley will explore all of his medical options before deciding whether or not to have surgery.

Woodley suffered the injury during his victory over Demian Maia at UFC 214 in July.

He wrote on Instagram after the fight he “completely threw my shoulder out at the end of the first”:

The California State Athletic Suspension increased Woodley’s medical suspension to 180 days in August, so regardless of what path he decides on to rehabilitate his shoulder, he’s potentially facing a lengthy absence from the Octagon. MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi reported Woodley can have the suspension lessened if receives a clean bill of health from an orthopedist.

After beating Neil Magny at UFC 215 last Saturday, Rafael dos Anjos called out Woodley and said he wanted to challenge for the title. Woodley responded on FS1:

Depending on Woodley’s recovery, Dos Anjos may have to set his sights on a different opponent, which could work out well anyway.

With another win or two in the welterweight division, Dos Anjos would climb even higher up the division rankings and prove himself a worthy No. 1 contender for the belt.

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Conor McGregor Sued for Allegedly Injuring Man During Nate Diaz Press Conference

Celebrity gossip site The Blast reported UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is the subject of a lawsuit stemming from a pre-fight press conference ahead of his UFC 202 victory over Nate Diaz.
During the press conference, McGregor threw water bottl…

Celebrity gossip site The Blast reported UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is the subject of a lawsuit stemming from a pre-fight press conference ahead of his UFC 202 victory over Nate Diaz.

During the press conference, McGregor threw water bottles and an energy drink can at Diaz and his entourage. ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto confirmed William Pegg is suing McGregor for at least $95,000, claiming he suffered injuries after being hit during the incident.

According to Okamoto, Diaz took exception to McGregor’s tardiness for the press conference and walked out shortly after he arrived. The two began exchanging words as Diaz was leaving, and their verbal confrontation turned physical when they hurled objects at one another (Warning: Video contains NSFW language and images):

McGregor was originally fined $150,000 and ordered to complete 50 hours of community service for his role in the skirmish. The Nevada State Athletic Commission eventually reduced his punishment to $25,000 and 25 hours of community service.

McGregor earned a majority decision over Diaz, avenging his March 2016 defeat at UFC 196.

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