Author: Joseph Zucker

Demetrious Johnson Calls for End of Flyweight Division over T.J. Dillashaw Fight

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson would rather see the company do away with the entire division than fight T.J. Dillashaw.
“They said it’s either TJ or we close the flyweight division,” Johnson said Monday on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting…

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson would rather see the company do away with the entire division than fight T.J. Dillashaw.

“They said it’s either TJ or we close the flyweight division,” Johnson said Monday on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting’s Shaheen Al-Shatti‏). “And I said, ‘Close the motherf—–g division then.'”

     

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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Dana White Rips Oscar De La Hoya After Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather Comments

UFC President Dana White had harsh words for boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya after De La Hoya was critical of the proposed superfight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. 
In an interview with TMZ Sports, White called De La Hoya “two-faced”…

UFC President Dana White had harsh words for boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya after De La Hoya was critical of the proposed superfight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. 

In an interview with TMZ Sports, White called De La Hoya “two-faced” for previously endorsing a McGregor-Mayweather fight and then reversing his stance more recently. (Warning: video contains NSFW language):

White also called out De La Hoya’s reversal on Twitter:

In a Facebook post from May 25, De La Hoya argued why a McGregor-Mayweather fight would potentially offer little benefit to the sport of boxing.

“Floyd’s and Conor’s motivation is clear. It’s money. In fact, they don’t even pretend it’s not,” he wrote. “But it’s also a lack of consequences for when the fight ends up being the disaster that is predicted. After this fight, neither of them will need us anymore. Floyd will go back to retirement—presumably for good this time with another nine-figure paycheck—and Conor will go back to the UFC.”

White wondered whether De La Hoya was going on the offensive since McGregor-Mayweather would likely come around the same time as Canelo Alvarez’s highly anticipated clash with Gennady Golovkin.

The two are set to fight Sept. 16. It’s the same month McGregor mentioned as a possible option for his bout with Mayweather. While Canelo-Golovkin and McGregor-Mayweather almost certainly wouldn’t happen the same weekend, fans may face a choice of only paying to watch one of the fights.

In that sense, De La Hoya, who has Canelo under the Golden Boy Promotions umbrella, would have a vested interest in attempting to downplay the significance of a cross-promotional battle between McGregor and Mayweather.

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Cris Cyborg Explains Why She Punched Angela Magana at UFC Athlete Retreat

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino provided a statement on her official Facebook page regarding her physical altercation with Angela Magana at the UFC Athlete Retreat in Las Vegas this past weekend.
Cyborg alluded to disparaging comments directed toward her: “…

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino provided a statement on her official Facebook page regarding her physical altercation with Angela Magana at the UFC Athlete Retreat in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Cyborg alluded to disparaging comments directed toward her: “When disparaging comments are made at the top, it sets an example that it is acceptable within the company, allowing lower ranking individuals to continuing following examples of leaders, establishing the culture and practices of the company”:

MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported Cyborg took exception to personal attacks from Magana on Twitter. In one tweet, Magana compared the Brazilian star to Jigsaw from the Saw film franchise (Warning: Tweet contains NSFW language):

FanSided’s Cage Pages obtained video of the incident (Warning: Video contains NSFW language):

Magana tweeted about the brief altercation:

A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto authorities cited Cyborg for misdemeanor battery, opting against making an arrest.

Since signing with UFC in March 2015, Cyborg has beaten Leslie Smith and Lina Lansberg.

It looked like her career would be put on hold after the United States Anti-Doping Agency flagged one of her samples for a potential violation in December. However, USADA cleared the 31-year-old in February, granting her a therapeutic-use exemption, immediately making her eligible to return to the Octagon.

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Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier Fight Likely to Happen at UFC 214, Says Dana White

UFC President Dana White said he’s prepared to schedule Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 on July 29 if the suspended Jones is ready to fight on that date, ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto reported Monday. 
Jones is serving his yearlong suspension f…

UFC President Dana White said he’s prepared to schedule Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 on July 29 if the suspended Jones is ready to fight on that date, ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto reported Monday. 

Jones is serving his yearlong suspension for failing a drug test before he was set to take on Cormier at UFC 200 last July. The 29-year-old will be eligible to fight again beginning July 7.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

 

For more news, rumors and related stories about Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier and the UFC, check out the UFC stream on Bleacher Report’s app.

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Daniel Cormier Medically Suspended for 45 Days After UFC 210 Win

Daniel Cormier received a medical suspension of at least 45 days following his victory over Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 last Saturday, MMAjunkie reported Tuesday.
Cormier submitted Johnson in the second round to run his professional record to 19-1.
The&…

Daniel Cormier received a medical suspension of at least 45 days following his victory over Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 last Saturday, MMAjunkie reported Tuesday.

Cormier submitted Johnson in the second round to run his professional record to 19-1.

The New York State Athletic Commission also suspended Johnson for 30 days, which may not matter since the 33-year-old retired after losing to Cormier.

When Cormier is eligible to return to the Octagon, a potential rematch with Jon Jones looms. As FloCombat’s Duane Finley tweeted, UFC doesn’t exactly have a wealth of marquee opponents for the current light heavyweight champion:

Jones was in attendance at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, to see Cormier beat Johnson firsthand.

Jones is serving a yearlong suspension for a failed drug test prior to his bout with Cormier at UFC 200. The punishment is in effect through July 6.

“If you’re in class and you get suspended, you don’t get to compete,” Cormier said of his rival, per Sherdog’s Tristen Critchfield. “Until [Jones] gets his academics in order, he can’t talk to me about a fight. When he’s eligible, then we can talk about a fight.”

 

For more news, rumors and related stories about Daniel Cormier and the UFC, check out the UFC stream on Bleacher Report’s app.

 

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Dana White Says Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor Fight Will Happen

UFC President Dana White went on the record expressing optimism that the megafight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather will likely be finalized at some point.
Speaking at UFC 210 Saturday, White said he plans to meet with McGregor to work out s…

UFC President Dana White went on the record expressing optimism that the megafight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather will likely be finalized at some point.

Speaking at UFC 210 Saturday, White said he plans to meet with McGregor to work out some of the details, per MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn:

I see this fight happening. Conor wants it, and Floyd wants it. I’ve said many times Conor has done a lot. He’s stepped up for big fights for this company, and for me and for [former UFC CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta]. I can’t deny him this fight. … Conor is having a baby any day now, and after Conor has his baby, Conor and I are going to meet in New York.

White added preliminary discussions about the fight are underway.

 

For more news, rumors and related stories about Conor McGregor and the UFC, check out the UFC stream on Bleacher Report’s app.

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