Author: Mike Chiari

Dana White Says He’s ‘Running’ Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor Fight Talks

Despite a report to the contrary, UFC President Dana White said Thursday he is heading fight talks between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that WME-IMG and Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon, h…

Despite a report to the contrary, UFC President Dana White said Thursday he is heading fight talks between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that WME-IMG and Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon, had taken center stage with White having no involvement.

According to TMZ Sports, White responded: “We live in a world right now where you can’t believe anything that you read. … Who else would be running the Mayweather-McGregor deal than me?”

White added: “What does WME know about making big fights? … Trust me, I’m running the Mayweather-McGregor deal.”

In May, White said during the TNT NBA postgame show (h/t MMAFighting.com) that he had completed McGregor’s side of the deal and was set to start working with Mayweather on his side.

Mayweather has yet to fully commit to boxing the UFC Lightweight champion, but he has acknowledged that a bout with McGregor is the best possible option for him, per ESPN.com’s Nick Parkinson:

“The only fight that makes sense to me is the McGregor fight. I’ve accomplished everything I want to accomplish [against other boxers]. Conor McGregor is professional and so am I. He’s a stand-up fighter, and I’m a stand-up fighter. He kicks ass in the Octagon, and I kick ass in the boxing ring. The fans demand that fight and you have to give the fans what they want to see.”

According to Pugmire, those involved in the Mayweather-McGregor talks are attempting to get a deal done in time for the fight to occur by “early fall.”

The fight would be a mismatch on paper since Mayweather is 49-0 as a boxer, while McGregor has never had a professional boxing match.

Even so, the star power and charisma of both fighters are enough to anchor what could be a record-breaking event in terms of pay-per-view buys.

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Kobe Bryant Shows Support for Potential Fighter’s Union at UFC Athlete’s Retreat

At a UFC Athlete Retreat in Las Vegas on Monday, NBA legend Kobe Bryant expressed support for the formation of a UFC fighters union.         
As seen in the following video courtesy of UFC fighter Angela Hill, fellow fighter Le…

At a UFC Athlete Retreat in Las Vegas on Monday, NBA legend Kobe Bryant expressed support for the formation of a UFC fighters union.         

As seen in the following video courtesy of UFC fighter Angela Hill, fellow fighter Leslie Smith asked Bryant about the benefits of a union:

“When you guys have this unity, when you guys are operating together on the same page together, it does nothing but simply fortify the sport and make the sport better,” Bryant said. “Not just for the present, but also for the future generations that are coming, so it’s extremely important.”

There has long been talk of UFC fighters unionizing, and while it has yet to happen, the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association came into being in November.

According to Ken Pishna and Jeff Cain of MMA Weekly, Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez, TJ Dillashaw, Donald Cerrone and Tim Kennedy head the organization.

It was formed in an effort to get a more even revenue split for UFC fighters in comparison to other sports.

Bryant was present for a pair of NBA lockouts that resulted in shortened seasons, and he played alongside former longtime National Basketball Players Association President Derek Fisher with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe retired in 2016 as one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, having been named to the All-Star team 18 times and won five championships.

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Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko Fight Rematch Announced for UFC 213

UFC announced Friday that Amanda Nunes will defend the UFC Women’s Bantamweight championship against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 213. 
Nunes and Shevchenko previously met at UFC 196 with Nunes prevailing by unanimous decision.
UFC 213 will take pl…

UFC announced Friday that Amanda Nunes will defend the UFC Women’s Bantamweight championship against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 213. 

Nunes and Shevchenko previously met at UFC 196 with Nunes prevailing by unanimous decision.

UFC 213 will take place July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

As seen in the following video from UFC’s official Twitter account, Nunes and Shevchenko had a war of words following the announcement:

The 28-year-old Nunes has been on an impressive roll over her past several fights with five victories in a row to her credit.

After beating Shevchenko, Nunes defeated Miesha Tate for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight title before becoming only the second woman to beat Ronda Rousey.

The loss to Nunes was just the second of Shevchenko’s MMA career, and she has bounced back nicely with wins over Holly Holm and Julianna Pena.

Shevchenko is a former champion kick boxer, but UFC 213 will mark her first opportunity to win a championship in UFC.

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Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones Fight Rematch Announced for UFC 214

The UFC announced Friday that light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will face Jon “Bones” Jones in the main event of UFC 214.
It will mark the second meeting between Cormier and Jones, as Jones won by unanimous decision in their bout at UFC 182.
&n…

The UFC announced Friday that light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will face Jon “Bones” Jones in the main event of UFC 214.

It will mark the second meeting between Cormier and Jones, as Jones won by unanimous decision in their bout at UFC 182.

 

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

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

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Daniel Cormier Rips Jon Jones, Citing UFC Star’s Legal Issues, Failed Drug Tests

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier went off on rival Jon “Bones” Jones on Wednesday in an exclusive interview with TMZ.
Cormier said Jones wasn’t a good guy and ripped him for his past legal issues and failed drugs tests.
Jones and Corm…

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier went off on rival Jon “Bones” Jones on Wednesday in an exclusive interview with TMZ.

Cormier said Jones wasn’t a good guy and ripped him for his past legal issues and failed drugs tests.

Jones and Cormier have long been feuding, and the interviewer brought this tweet to Cormier‘s attention:

Cormier took issue with Jones calling himself the champ and said the following: “His championship was lost when he was drugged out of his mind and ran over someone’s wife. Or maybe he lost his championship the time he tested positive for steroids. There’s been a number of times where he lost the championship, so the champ is not there.”

Jones tested positive for metabolites found in cocaine prior to his UFC 182 victory over Cormier in 2015.

He was then stripped of his title and suspended by the UFC for his role in a 2015 hit-and-run.

Jones and Cormier were scheduled to have their rematch at UFC 200, but just three days before the event, Jones was forced to withdraw from the fight for a doping violation and was subsequently suspended one year.

While Jones hasn’t competed since UFC 197, Chris Taylor of BJPenn.com reported Wednesday that a fight with Cormier is scheduled for UFC 214 on July 29 after Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com first reported it as a target date.

Cormier is 19-1, while Jones is the former pound-for-pound king with a mark of 22-1.

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Dana White Says Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor Is ‘Probably Going to Happen’

UFC President Dana White told TMZ Sports on Tuesday that a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor is “probably going to happen.”
As seen in the following video, White was asked about McGregor’s potential to face flyweight champion Demetrious…

UFC President Dana White told TMZ Sports on Tuesday that a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor is “probably going to happen.”

As seen in the following video, White was asked about McGregor’s potential to face flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson before revealing his focus was on Mayweather instead:

White added that he is going to start negotiating with Team Mayweather soon.

Both Mayweather and McGregor have expressed interest in a fight for months, especially since the UFC lightweight champion got his boxing license in November.

The 40-year-old Mayweather hasn’t fought since retiring after a September 2015 win over Andre Berto to improve his career record to 49-0.

McGregor, 28, last competed in the Octagon at UFC 205, defeating Eddie Alvarez via TKO (punches). The Irishman has never taken part in a professional boxing match.

White’s optimism that Mayweather and McGregor will clash comes after he told TMZ Sports on Monday the fight is “not even close to being done.”

 

 

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

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