Nate Diaz is closer to stepping back inside the Octagon, and part of getting the deal done appears to be slapping Dana White.
Warning: Video contains NSFW lyrics.
Diaz posted the video to Instagram on Saturday evening. White took the “Stockton S…
Nate Diaz is closer to stepping back inside the Octagon, and part of getting the deal done appears to be slapping Dana White.
Warning: Video contains NSFW lyrics.
Diaz posted the video to Instagram on Saturday evening. White took the “Stockton Slap” from Diaz with 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” as the soundtrack for the slo-mo replay. Diaz posted the video using the caption “Getting deals done today” and the hashtag “#immagetmymoney”.
On Thursday, White said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd he met with Diaz in Stockton but left the meeting upset at Diaz’s management. The hatchet now seems to be buried.
It would appear the deal Diaz is alluding to would be the rematch with Conor McGregor. Diaz submitted the featherweight champion at UFC 196, and the rematch has been linked to UFC 202 later this year. Now it seems like that announcement is going to come in the near future.
UFC 199 is just a day away, set for 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday night, but the 26 combatants on the fight card will need to step on the scale to make weight before it becomes official.
Most important will be the four men involved in the two titl…
UFC 199 is just a day away, set for 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday night, but the 26 combatants on the fight card will need to step on the scale to make weight before it becomes official.
Most important will be the four men involved in the two title tilts atop the billing.
Luke Rockhold defends his middleweight title for the first time against Michael Bisping, and Dominick Cruz defends against Urijah Faber in the bantamweight co-main event. Both fights are rematches between rivals who like to jaw at one another.
Bleacher Report will have complete coverage of the weigh-in when it gets underway at 7 p.m. ET. Check back for live weigh-in coverage when the fighters hit the scale on Friday evening.
UFC 199 Fight Card
UFC Middleweight Championship: Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping
UFC Bantamweight Championship: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
Dana White is hard at work trying to land Conor McGregor his rematch against Nate Diaz, but the UFC president isn’t sure if he can get the pen to paper.
White appeared on SportsCenter and The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Thursday to discuss the Mc…
Dana White is hard at work trying to land Conor McGregor his rematch against Nate Diaz, but the UFC president isn’t sure if he can get the pen to paper.
White appeared on SportsCenter and The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Thursday to discuss the McGregor situation. The reigning featherweight champion lost to Diaz at UFC 196 and has been trying to get a rematch ever since.
On SportsCenter, White claimed that McGregor is “obsessed” (h/t Jeremy Botter of FloCombat) with the rematch. On The Herd, White said they are actively looking at other options—including the winner of Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar or Rafael dos Anjos—along with the Diaz bout.
Yet, that’s not the only fight McGregor has been linked to in the past few weeks. Floyd Mayweather has also entered the fray and tweeted about a possible boxing tilt with the UFC’s bombastic superstar. White didn’t extinguish the flames entirely, but did say Mayweather isn’t fighting McGregor without calling the UFC first.
White may be targeting UFC 202 for McGregor’s return to the Octagon. Still, the rematch with Diaz appears to be on shaky ground with the UFC putting pressure to get the deal done. White confirmed that he did leave his meeting in Stockton, California, upset with Diaz’s management.
According to White, McGregor will need to choose a different opponent or lose the UFC 202 main event slot altogether.
The circus that is Conor McGregor continues to be the UFC’s bell cow, but it is becoming a sideshow in figuring out his next fight. When the Irishman steps back inside the cage, it will be a massive fight no matter who is standing opposite him.
The heat is rising in nailing down an opponent for his return, and the UFC is ready to move past the Diaz rematch to get McGregor back at the top of the bill sooner rather than later.
Urijah Faber (33-8) is a certifiable legend in the sport of mixed martial arts. “The California Kid” led the charge for the lighter weight classes and has achieved nearly everything there is to achieve—except for getting his hands on …
Urijah Faber (33-8) is a certifiable legend in the sport of mixed martial arts. “The California Kid” led the charge for the lighter weight classes and has achieved nearly everything there is to achieve—except for getting his hands on UFC gold.
UFC 199 will be his fourth, and most likely final, attempt to claim the one thing that has continued to elude him throughout his career.
Standing in his way is his nemesis, Dominick Cruz (21-1). According to Odds Shark’s Justin Hartling, Cruz enters as a significant -600 favorite (bet $600 to win $100) to retain his bantamweight title.
Both times Cruz returned from long absences, thanks to multiple major injuries, he looked fantastic. He blew through TakeyaMizugaki and bested TJ Dillashaw in each instance. Faber will be fighting a better version of Cruz than he faced at WEC 26 or UFC 132.
So why should you not write him off?
Faber still has all the tools to defeat Cruz. He has good striking, knockout power, quality wrestling and a solid submission game. No matter where the fight takes place, he is a threat. If we go back to their last meeting at UFC 132, Faber continued to be effective through all five rounds.
Faber landed cleanly on Cruz in the fourth round, briefly sitting the champion down on the canvas. The knockdown is notable for their rematch. Cruz took the fifth by turning up the pressure and scoring multiple takedowns, but neither man gassed.
This is MMA, where strange and unexpected things happen on the regular. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Faber clips Cruz much as he did in their second meeting, catches him in a submission like in their first fight or squeaks by on the judges’ scorecards.
Discrediting a legitimate upper-echelon fighter such as Faber is borderline disrespectful and downright ignorant.
Lest we forget Faber is also a finisher. Of his nine UFC victories, only three have gone to a decision.
“The California Kid” has consistently competed against the best for over a decade, and this being the third meeting against Cruz, he won’t see anything he has never seen before. Faber will be fully prepared for his last chance at glory.
Faber is a future UFC Hall of Famer for everything he has done throughout his career, but he has to know this is his final shot at being a UFC champion. Knowing that, he will leave every ounce of energy in the cage this weekend. Cruz has never outclassed Faber, and he would be unlikely to do so at UFC 199.
One opening, one mistake is all it will take for Faber to capitalize and become a champion once again.
It’s an uphill battle for Faber, but he is a live dog in this fight. Don’t count him out.
UFC Fight Night 88 has come and gone, and if you missed it, you missed a night full of fun fights.
UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby earned their keep. No one fight would make fans rush to buy tickets or turn on their television sets, but the t…
UFC Fight Night 88 has come and gone, and if you missed it, you missed a night full of fun fights.
UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby earned their keep. No one fight would make fans rush to buy tickets or turn on their television sets, but the totality of the card was a design of masterful matchmaking—good, close matchups from top-to-bottom.
In the main event, top prospects Cody Garbrandt and Thomas Almeida went toe-to-toe. It didn’t last long as Garbrandt’s power put Almeida out.
In the co-main event, former bantamweight champion Renan Barao had his featherweight debut spoiled by Jeremy Stephens.
There was a lot to break down and take away from Las Vegas on Sunday, and a lot of fights to book following the madness. And that’s what we are here to do. Who does Garbrandt take on following his first main event win? Where does highly touted Aljamain Sterling go from here?
Well, let’s find out as we make all the matches for the winners and losers from Las Vegas.
Jeremy Stephens (25-15) and Renan Barao (33-4, 1 NC) threw down at UFC Fight Night 88 on Sunday. “Wow” is the best word to describe that fight. That is what fisticuffs are all about.
The three rounds provided fans with quality action from both men, an…
Jeremy Stephens (25-15) and RenanBarao (33-4, 1 NC) threw down at UFC Fight Night 88 on Sunday. “Wow” is the best word to describe that fight. That is what fisticuffs are all about.
The three rounds provided fans with quality action from both men, and made the judges earn their money with a close fight. All three scored the bout 29-28 for Stephens.
The big question entering the co-main event was how the size difference would effect Barao. His frame looks like a bantamweight, and standing next to Stephens confirmed how much bigger the featherweights will be against the former champion.
The size didn’t pose too much of a problem in the first five minutes. In fact, it was Barao’s speed advantage that came into play. Barao moved effectively, touched up Stephens and showed both orthodox and southpaw attacks. Barao won the first round by being the quicker fighter.
The tone of the fight changed in the second as Stephens’ size and power came into play. He caught Barao with several huge punches that rocked the former bantamweight kingpin. Barao ate the shots, but certainly felt the effects. Stephens came from different angles with big power punches. Barao survived and ended the round by scoring a takedown.
In between the second and third rounds, Stephens’ corner told him to throw combinations. Barao seemed to regain his composure and went back to what worked in the first round. He avoided the big sweeping counters from Stephens, but was still getting hit from time to time.
They smiled at each other with 2:30 remaining in the final round. Shortly after, Barao changed levels on a takedown attempt, and put Stephens on his butt. To the delight of the fans, Stephens worked his way back up with 90 seconds remaining in the fight. The two talented fighters scrapped their way to the bell in a fun, close encounter.
Barao answered the question of whether he could hang with the bigger and stronger featherweights. He took some bombs from one of the hardest hitters in the division. But he is still undersized and failed to win. Does he cut back down to 135 pounds or stay at 145?
If he stays at featherweight, he needs a rebound fight against someone lower on the totem pole. MakwanAmirkhani fits the bill, and would be a good chance for Barao to showcase his complete skill set.
Stephens re-enters the fray of the upper echelon at featherweight. Should Ricardo Lamas upend Max Holloway at UFC 199, Stephens vs. Lamas is the fight to make. A rematch with Holloway isn’t appealing at this juncture. Should the Hawaiian win at UFC 199, other options will need to be evaluated.
Big featherweight tilts are on the horizon in the coming months, and following his UFC Fight Night 88 showing, Stephens will be a very interested onlooker for those coming events. “Lil’ Heathen” is back in the mix.
Nate Diaz is closer to stepping back inside the Octagon, and part of getting the deal done appears to be slapping Dana White.