The November UFC schedule is focused around a lightweight battle happening at UFC 205 on November 12 between Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez, but on November 5 there is another one you don’t want to miss.
No. 2-ranked contender, and former champion, R…
The November UFC schedule is focused around a lightweight battle happening at UFC 205 on November 12 between Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez, but on November 5 there is another one you don’t want to miss.
No. 2-ranked contender, and former champion, Rafael Dos Anjos meets No. 3-ranked Tony Ferguson at UFC Fight Night 98 in Mexico City.
The main event will be Dos Anjos’ first trip back inside the Octagon since losing the belt to Alvarez in the summer. Ferguson hopes to extend his winning streak to nine and claim a title shot. The scheduled five-round battle will put the winner in the driver’s seat for an early 2017 tilt with whoever exits Madison Square Garden holding gold.
That begs the question: Who walks out of Mexico City in the lightweight division’s driver seat?
Georges St-Pierre posted a video Wednesday afternoon in response to Michael Bisping asking for a fight with the former UFC welterweight kingpin.
In short, it’s not happening yet.
Bisping’s outspokenness reached a fever pitch Tuesday. He ha…
Georges St-Pierre posted a video Wednesday afternoon in response to Michael Bisping asking for a fight with the former UFC welterweight kingpin.
In short, it’s not happening yet.
Bisping’s outspokenness reached a fever pitch Tuesday. He had several tweets directed toward GSP that provoked the response Wednesday.
GSP said he met with new UFC head Ari Emanuel last week and “made peace” with Dana White. Both seem like positive moves to get GSP back inside the Octagon, but nothing is signed to get him back to action yet.
White also sent a text to reporters late Tuesday saying the fight was not happening:
The Canadian face of MMA said that while nothing would make him happier to fight Bisping in Toronto (for UFC 206), it is not going to happen right now.
GSP closed his video by saying, “Hopefully, things will change soon.” That sentiment can be agreed upon across the board. GSP’s return would be one of the most anticipated events for the UFC. A matchup against Bisping, the current middleweight champion, would only serve to heighten the interest in his return.
The two sides have still not resolved their differences, but GSP’s recent meeting gives hope his return is close. In which case, Bisping should stay ready to pick up the phone when the UFC calls.
Michael Bisping is chasing money signs, and he seems to have located one in GSP. Or rather, G$P.
Bisping, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, has been angling for this fight since the summer. The champion has poked and prodded the former welterweig…
Michael Bisping is chasing money signs, and he seems to have located one in GSP. Or rather, G$P.
Bisping, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, has been angling for this fight since the summer. The champion has poked and prodded the former welterweight kingpin at numerous intervals including calling him a “b—h” for retiring from the sport on his radio show The Countdown (h/t MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew).
GSP officially announced his desire to return to action in August, per MMAjunkie’s Brent Brookhouse. Now Bisping is ramping up the talk on social media.
Bisping tweeted to GSP that he needs to “sign the papers,” and the current 185-pound champ responded to other Twitter users that he has already verbally agreed to the fight against GSP.
Bisping even took to Instagram to tell GSP to be a Canadian hero.
It seems like a good plan. Bisping vs. GSP. Perhaps at UFC 206 in front of the Toronto card. Well, enter UFC President Dana White to throw cold water on that notion. In a text to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White said that while Bisping wants the fight it isn’t going to happen.
Perhaps this is more negotiation tactics from White, or Bisping may truly be wasting his time. The tension between GSP and the UFC has risen in the recent weeks.
GSP recently went on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to announce his contract with the UFC was “terminated,” and that he is now a free agent. The UFC denied this was the case and still considers him an active roster member, per Okamoto.
There is a lot of posturing behind the scenes, but Bisping is doing his out in the open in the hopes that if GSP does return to the Octagon it will be against him. And that is a great way to line his pockets with cash as GSP’s anticipated return will be a must-see event for all MMA fans.
Eddie Alvarez sees an easy victory ahead for him at UFC 205 against Conor McGregor, and the lightweight champion is as confident as he has ever been.
Alvarez did not seem a bit fazed during the press conference staredown when they first met face-to-fac…
Eddie Alvarez sees an easy victory ahead for him at UFC 205 against Conor McGregor, and the lightweight champion is as confident as he has ever been.
Alvarez did not seem a bit fazed during the press conference staredown when they first met face-to-face. Alvarez talked about that moment on the MMA Roasted podcast with Adam Hunter.
Alvarez remarked, “When I was on stage with him in New York, I never felt less threatened in my life against another man.”
Strong words from a confident champion.
Now, with preparation underway, the champion is looking at possible deficiencies he sees in his opponent. McGregor has taken the sport by storm and helped grow it to new heights, but Alvarez sees no issue with the matchup at hand.
Alvarez sees McGregor as just a left hand. He noted (h/t Jose Youngs of FanSided) that McGregor’s go-to move is called the “rock back,” and he can take it out of the southpaw’s arsenal. “This is a move that’s very easily taken away, and we’re going to dominate every step of the way,” said the UFC lightweight champion.
The champion’s insistence that he can nullify McGregor’s stand-up would seem to go against history. Alvarez’s aggressive and inviting style has rarely taken away his opponent’s striking weapons. Per FightMetric, Alvarez has absorbed 193 total strikes in his four UFC contests.
“I’m confident in my coaches, I’m confident in our game plan and our ability to go out there and do it,” said Alvarez. “We’re just following this game plan step-by-step.”
Easier said than done, but Alvarez has complete conviction in his game plan heading into the biggest event in UFC history. The trust is with Mark Henry and the rest of his team to prepare him for battle. If the reigning champion’s words are to be trusted, it looks like he is preparing for a systematic breakdown of McGregor.
Vegas doesn’t see it the same way.
Current odds, courtesy of Odds Shark, have McGregor as a slight favorite at -185 and Alvarez as a +150 underdog.
The lightweight title tilt will headline UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 12. That is the date and venue where we will find out if Alvarez sticks to his game plan, or if he throws it all out the window in a wild brawl with the heavy-handed Irish superstar.
Conor McGregor will go for history at UFC 205. The UFC featherweight champion, with a victory over Eddie Alvarez, can be the first-ever UFC fighter to hold belts in two divisions at the same time.
UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture and BJ Penn are the on…
ConorMcGregor will go for history at UFC 205. The UFC featherweight champion, with a victory over Eddie Alvarez, can be the first-ever UFC fighter to hold belts in two divisions at the same time.
UFC Hall of Famers Randy Couture and BJ Penn are the only two individuals in company history to be champions in multiple divisions, but neither man did it while already holding a belt in another division. McGregor looks to not only join them but to surpass them in history.
What if he does accomplish that feat? If he is victorious at UFC 205, Dana White is on record in saying he will have to drop one of the belts (h/t Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting).
“…let me do it and let me go back and look at some pictures of me with two belts and let me embrace it for half-a-day,” said McGregor.
McGregor has a point. He has yet to obtain history. It may be too early to be talking about what comes after for both the featherweight and lightweight divisions. Per OddsShark.com, McGregor is a slight favorite heading into the UFC’s first New York City event. He is as high as minus-185 on some books.
The featherweight champion did not expressly say he would keep both belts following the event. The Irish star said he will always make the correct business decision. That decision will not be known until after UFC 205.
All of the talk will be all for naught if Alvarez has his way.
But perhaps we should all take McGregor’s cue on this one and simply enjoy his attempt at history on Nov. 12.
We are in the final quarter of 2016, and the UFC schedule is bananas. Or, as the kids like to say these days, lit.
It’s so lit, in fact, that while choosing the top 10 fights remaining on the schedule, we left several title fights off the list. You won…
We are in the final quarter of 2016, and the UFC schedule is bananas. Or, as the kids like to say these days, lit.
It’s so lit, in fact, that while choosing the top 10 fights remaining on the schedule, we left several title fights off the list. You won’t see Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson or the rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson here. Those two exceptional fights, among many others, simply couldn’t crack the top 10.
This is how 2016 is going to finish—with incredible fight after incredible fight during a two-month span.
In the final two months, the UFC will bring 10 live events to your television screen in one form or another, and almost every event offers a slate of exciting bouts. We are about to embark on a thrilling ride, and these are the best of the best.
Let’s jump right into the 10 best fights before the calendar turns to 2017.
