Author: Mike Chiari

Tony Ferguson Wants Title Unification Fight Against Conor McGregor in 2018

UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson called for a 2018 title unification bout with Conor McGregor in an Instagram post Friday.
According to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto, Ferguson posted the following message after he underwent elbow surgery, whic…

UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson called for a 2018 title unification bout with Conor McGregor in an Instagram post Friday.

According to ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto, Ferguson posted the following message after he underwent elbow surgery, which isn’t expected to keep him out for an extended period of time: “I asked Doc if he could make my elbows any more sharper. Well … [with] a wink and a nod it was done!!! T’was a very minor surgery and now getting ready to unify my belt with McNuggets in the first [quarter] of the year (March – April), as recovery is going great!!! #DefendorVacate.”

The 33-year-old Ferguson became interim champ at UFC 216 in October when he defeated Kevin Lee by submission.

McGregor won the lightweight title at UFC 205 in November 2016 when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in the second round.

The Irishman hasn’t fought for the UFC since then, though, as he shifted his focus to boxing. McGregor went on to lose to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by 10th-round technical knockout in August.

It is unclear when McGregor intends to return to the Octagon, and UFC President Dana White said last month that he “might never fight again,” per Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com.

There is significantly more money in boxing than mixed martial arts for McGregor, and this week, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao said he reached out to McGregor about a potential fight, according to Okamoto.

In the MMA world, McGregor is the sport’s biggest draw, and he is among its most successful competitors with a record of 21-3.

Ferguson is 23-3, and he is in the midst of an impressive 10-fight winning streak.

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Dana White Doesn’t Think Conor McGregor’s Alleged Run-in with Irish Mob Is True

UFC President Dana White commented Wednesday on a report alleging UFC Lightweight champion Conor McGregor was involved in a pub brawl that included an Irish mob associate in Dublin, Ireland.
According to Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMA Junkie, W…

UFC President Dana White commented Wednesday on a report alleging UFC Lightweight champion Conor McGregor was involved in a pub brawl that included an Irish mob associate in Dublin, Ireland.

According to Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMA Junkie, White said he doesn’t believe the report due to a lack of mainstream media attention: “I don’t think it’s true, because if it were true, it would be big. Conor can walk down the street, and it’s big news now. If this was true, I would just have to believe it would be off-the-charts crazy.”

Ken Foy and Robin Schiller of the Irish Independent reported Tuesday that a “well-known Irish celebrity,” also referred to as a “sports star,” punched a man in his 50s linked to convicted drug dealer and Kinahan cartel member Graham “The Wig” Whelan.

While the report didn’t mention McGregor by name, Gareth Davies of the Daily Mail reported witnesses said on social media that McGregor was the celebrity involved.

While White isn’t buying the reports, he did offer his thoughts should they turn out to be true, saying, “Can’t be a good thing for Conor. … But I’m sure it can be worked out, too. [Boxing legend] Jake LaMotta’s brother beat the s–t out of a wise guy, too, and they figured it out.”

McGregor has been in the news often since his boxing debut and loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26.

Most notably, McGregor entered the cage at Bellator 187 in Dublin after he thought SBG Ireland teammate Charlie Ward had defeated John Redmond.

The fight hadn’t yet been called off by the official, however, and after referee Marc Goddard attempted to restore order, McGregor pushed him.

McGregor hasn’t competed for UFC since UFC 205 more than one year ago, and White told reporters Tuesday that McGregor “might never fight again.

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Conor McGregor’s Coach Says Notorious Won’t Return to UFC Until at Least April

Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, said on Wednesday that the UFC lightweight champion probably won’t return until “April or mid-next year,” according to Farah Hannoun of Sports Journal.
Kavanagh added that McGregor’s camp still has to go thro…

Conor McGregor‘s coach, John Kavanagh, said on Wednesday that the UFC lightweight champion probably won’t return until “April or mid-next year,” according to Farah Hannoun of Sports Journal.

Kavanagh added that McGregor’s camp still has to go through negotiations with UFC regarding his next fight.

McGregor’s last UFC fight came at UFC 205 in November 2016, when he defeated Eddie Alvarez by technical knockout in the second round.

The Irishman has stayed busy since then, however, as he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by 10th-round TKO in his professional boxing debut in August.

Most recently, McGregor made an appearance at Bellator 187 on Nov. 10, when he entered the cage to celebrate with SBG teammate Charlie Ward following his win over John Redmond.

Chaos ensued, though, and McGregor ended up pushing referee Marc Goddard when Goddard attempted to restore order and check on Redmond’s status.

It was previously expected McGregor would face Tony Ferguson at UFC 219 on Dec. 30, but Kavanagh’s timeline suggests that won’t be the case.

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Ref in Conor McGregor Incident Explains Event, Wants No Punishment for Notorious

Referee Marc Goddard commented Tuesday on the incident that occurred involving Conor McGregor at the conclusion of the Bellator 187 fight between Charlie Ward and John Redmond on Friday. 
In a lengthy Facebook post, Goddard discussed the circumsta…

Referee Marc Goddard commented Tuesday on the incident that occurred involving Conor McGregor at the conclusion of the Bellator 187 fight between Charlie Ward and John Redmond on Friday. 

In a lengthy Facebook post, Goddard discussed the circumstances surrounding McGregor entering the cage to celebrate with Ward before the bout was technically over.

Bellator MMA tweeted video of the incident, which showed McGregor pushing Goddard in the back at one point:

Goddard said he had stepped between Ward and a grounded Redmond when he thought the first round came to an end, however, there was still one second remaining, which led Ward, his team and McGregor to believe Ward had won.

Amid the chaos, Goddard was trying to determine whether Redmond could continue, and he said in the explanation that is why he addressed Ward and McGregor before McGregor pushed him.

With regard to McGregor, Goddard said he doesn’t want any additional actions to be taken against him for his involvement in the situation:

“I do not wish for any further action to be taken against any party, in particular Conor McGregor, but ultimately that is entirely out of my hands. I hope that the situation can be reviewed, learned from on how we could prevent a repeat instance and then case closed, we move on for the good of the sport.”

Goddard also commented on his relationship with McGregor and suggested the UFC Lightweight champion’s fame changed the way “Notorious” treated him:

“I have known, witnessed and refereed Conor on many previous occasions over the years and watched, even in support of his meteoric rise, speaking publically to commend him and offer an insight when others had turned against him. I have known Conor before he was the mega star that he is now, long before he amassed his fame and fortune—the difference being I respected him the same and treated him no different back then.”

No punishment has been made public for McGregor thus far, but Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation Director Mike Mazzulli told MMAFighting.com (h/t Brian Campbell of CBSSports.com) Tuesday that UFC has pulled McGregor from the UFC 219 card on Dec. 30:

“After the event, I had some executives from UFC contact me within two hours after what occurred. They basically said to me that it was completely unacceptable in their eyes and that they will be doing something. They did inform me that he was set to be on the Dec. 30 card and he will not be on it. So I do commend UFC to some extent for doing that.” 

McGregor is the biggest draw in UFC, and he was set to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 219 in his return to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 205 in November 2016.

He took a hiatus from MMA to pursue a boxing fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August, which he lost by 10th-round technical knockout.

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Anderson Silva Out of Kelvin Gastelum Fight After Possible Failed Drug Test

UFC announced Friday that Anderson Silva has been removed from his scheduled fight against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 25 in Shanghai, China, due to a potential anti-doping policy violation.
UFC said in a statement that it was notif…

UFC announced Friday that Anderson Silva has been removed from his scheduled fight against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 25 in Shanghai, China, due to a potential anti-doping policy violation.

UFC said in a statement that it was notified by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that Silva may have violated the policy based on an out-of-competition sample collected on Oct. 26, resulting in his being provisionally suspended by USADA.

In 2015, Silva failed a pair of drug tests related to UFC 183, resulting in his unanimous-decision win over Nick Diaz getting changed to a no contest.

Silva was originally scheduled to fight Gastelum at UFC 212 in June, but the fight was postponed after Gastelum tested positive for marijuana.

The 42-year-old Silva is one of the most successful fighters in UFC history with a career professional record of 34-8.

The Spider was victorious in his most recent fight against Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in February, but in the five fights before that, he lost four times and had one no contest.

UFC has yet to announce if a replacement fighter will step in for Silva in order to keep Gastelum on the card.

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Jim Lampley: Floyd Mayweather ‘Obviously’ Threw Rounds vs. Conor McGregor

HBO boxing announcer Jim Lampley expressed his belief Tuesday that Floyd Mayweather Jr. intentionally threw rounds during his Aug. 26 win over Conor McGregor.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Lampley said Mayweather “obviously” gave McGregor some round…

HBO boxing announcer Jim Lampley expressed his belief Tuesday that Floyd Mayweather Jr. intentionally threw rounds during his Aug. 26 win over Conor McGregor.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Lampley said Mayweather “obviously” gave McGregor some rounds early in the fight in an effort to goad the public into buying another fight down the line: “He allowed Conor to quote ‘win’ three rounds so that the whole global MMA wish community could have something to latch on to. I think there’s a decent chance there’s enough suckers out there Floyd could maybe make another $150 million, why not?”

Lampley called the fight a “marvelous scam” and a “setup” before making it clear he thinks a rematch between Mayweather and McGregor could be in the works due to the money at stake.

Per ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, Mayweather earned a guaranteed purse of $100 million, while McGregor reeled in at least $30 million.

Mayweather said after the bout that he was retired for good, but the 40-year-old has stepped away from boxing on multiple occasions only to return.

While Mayweather overwhelmed McGregor in the latter stages of their fight and beat him by technical knockout in the 10th round, the early rounds were a feeling-out process that saw the UFC Lightweight champion hold his own.

Mayweather left little doubt that he is the superior boxer despite McGregor hanging in there, which raises the question of whether there is truly a market in support of a rematch between them.

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