Author: Tom Sunderland

Ronda Rousey Comments on Relationship with Dana White After Donald Trump Remarks

Ronda Rousey has insisted her and UFC President Dana White’s conflicting views on presidential candidate Donald Trump won’t get in the way of their working relationship, saying “politics isn’t part of our conversations.”  
Speaking to TMZ Spo…

Ronda Rousey has insisted her and UFC President Dana White‘s conflicting views on presidential candidate Donald Trump won’t get in the way of their working relationship, saying “politics isn’t part of our conversations.”  

Speaking to TMZ Sports this weekend after venturing out for the first time in the public eye since her UFC 193 defeat to Holly Holm, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion suggested there are certain topics her and White won’t discuss:

UFC figurehead White recently told TMZ Sports of his support for Trump, who has backed his MMA promotion in the past (h/t MMA Mania‘s Adrian MacNair):

Donald Trump was the first one to have us come out of the Trump Taj Mahal. Not only did we host the events there, he actually showed up and supported the events. You will never hear me say a negative thing about Donald Trump.

[…]

Donald will get my vote.

Rousey and Trump have had an indirect head-to-head in the past, and the cage fighter told CNN back in August she wouldn’t give the Republican her vote, per TMZ Sports: “I wouldn’t vote for [Trump]. I just really wouldn’t trust the guy with running my country, that’s all … I’m not really going to get into specifics of it, but, I mean, I don’t want a reality TV star to be running my country.”

Those comments may have, in part, fuelled Trump’s decision to revel in Rousey’s shock defeat to Holm via a second-round knockout in November, tweeting he was “glad to see” the 28-year-old lose:

In the wake of her surprise loss to Holm, Rousey was served with a potential 180-day medical suspension, meaning her earliest possible target for a rematch will be May 2016, although White has suggested a date of July 9 at UFC 200.

Holm hopes for an earlier bout, proclaiming “I don’t want to wait that long,” per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), but the UFC’s desire to draw hype for a second clash is likely to mean those wishes could go unfulfilled.

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Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor Knockout Draws Negative Reaction in Brazilian Media

Jose Aldo’s 13-second knockout defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 194 has caused a great deal of distress in the losing fighter’s native Brazil, where the media hold concerns over the new champion, whom they call a “myth.”
McGregor took the UFC’s featherw…

Jose Aldo’s 13-second knockout defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 194 has caused a great deal of distress in the losing fighter’s native Brazil, where the media hold concerns over the new champion, whom they call a “myth.”

McGregor took the UFC’s featherweight championship on Saturday after disposing of Aldo in record time for a title fight. The result led Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo to proclaim the “golden years” of Brazilian mixed martial arts are over, while newspaper O Globo called the loss “a stain on the career” of Aldo (h/t Irish Independent‘s Declan Whooley).

BT Sport posted footage of the blow that ended Aldo’s championship reign and left his Brazilian fans reeling:

Aldo reigned undefeated in the Octagon for 10 years before McGregor blew that record away with a swift left hook that’s sure to go down in the UFC’s history books.

In a state of disbelief over how abruptly the fight came to an end, O Globo (via the Irish Independent) went on to elaborate upon “jester” McGregor’s new status at the peak of the featherweight division, hinting he didn’t deserve the victory:

“One day you’re the king. Next, the jester takes his crown. The outspoken athlete [McGregor] who won more recognition from his provocations than by knockouts, will now be treated as a sport myth until the day that is defeated in the UFC.”

Or perhaps it was merely that Aldo wasn’t deserving of such a quick loss, considering the hype and anticipation surrounding one of the most advertised fights in UFC history, which turned into a passing of the torch.

Not all sections of the Brazilian media were as vindictive in judging McGregor’s work, however, and Estado de Minas, a newspaper published in Belo Horizonte, was quicker to heap praise on the “new king” (via the Irish Independent):

“Maybe Conor McGregor said too much, but he did everything he said. Now the featherweight champion who dispatched Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds at UFC 194 in Las Vegas has demonstrated his first act as king.”

Speaking to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting after his UFC 194 triumph, McGregor described the first-round knockout as a “dream come true:”

It’s true The Notorious was happy as ever to take on the role of loudmouth for much of the press tour leading up to UFC 194, but it’s all the more difficult to rally against such personalities when they have results to back them up.

After a brief spell as the supposed underdog, a flurry of betting on Aldo installed the South American as the last-minute favourite heading into Saturday’s fixture, per Paul Dollery of The42:

That late spike might have suggested the dethroned champion could prevail over the fastest-rising force the UFC has ever witnessed, but those hopes were extinguished all too quickly.

Love him or hate him, McGregor is here to stay, and while it’s unknown at this point whether calls for a rematch will be answered, there’s no arguing over who deserves to hold the championship belt.

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Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor Winner Predicted by Chad Mendes Ahead of UFC 194

Chad Mendes can be considered arguably the biggest authority when it comes to predicting the winner of Saturday’s UFC 194 championship bout between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo.The American is the only man on the planet to have faced both featherweight…

Chad Mendes can be considered arguably the biggest authority when it comes to predicting the winner of Saturday’s UFC 194 championship bout between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo.

The American is the only man on the planet to have faced both featherweights in the Octagon, and he’s throwing his support behind Aldo this weekend.

Speaking in a Periscope session (h/t Darragh Murphy of JOE.ie), Mendes backed the Brazilian to come out on top: “I don’t know if I see anybody getting knocked out, but I think Aldo is going to tear him up!”

Mendes has suffered stoppage defeats to both McGregor and Aldo, losing twice to the latter, while his most recent outing resulted in a knockout at the hands of the former.

It was in that fixture on July 11 that Money was actually filling in as a late replacement for Aldo due to a rib injury he sustained in training, and despite the loss, he believes the South American has more in his locker.

McGregor appeared to be hurt at times in his clash with Mendes, but the Irish figure recently gave an unglamorous account of his last opponent’s ability, per mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani:

Saturday’s encounter is being built up as one of the biggest fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, with Aldo, undefeated as its featherweight champion, attempting to defend a 10-year winning streak.

It’s certainly the biggest collision in the history of the division at least, and Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden believes it may be the most heavily promoted date ever:

Many have suggested Mendes could give The Notorious a stronger run for his money with a proper training camp under his belt, and it could put him in better shape for future prospects if the Irishman were to succeed.

However, interim champion McGregor wishes to unify the belts in Las Vegas before moving up to claim further titles at lightweight, according to Helwani:

That pursuit would open the Dubliner up to another raft of risks, but part of McGregor’s appeal is that he genuinely appears to see himself as a fighter capable of just about anything.

First and foremost comes Aldo, however, and mere days remain before fans witness one of the most anticipated UFC bouts in history and find out whether McGregor or Mendes is correct in his predictions.

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Conor McGregor Comments on Sparring with the Mountain from ‘Game of Thrones’

Ultimate Fighting Championship sensation Conor McGregor has given his take on what it was like to spar with “The Mountain” Hafthor Julius Bjornsson. 
A video surfaced in late October showing the UFC interim featherweight champion in a playful…

Ultimate Fighting Championship sensation Conor McGregor has given his take on what it was like to spar with “The Mountain” Hafthor Julius Bjornsson. 

A video surfaced in late October showing the UFC interim featherweight champion in a playful fight with Bjornsson, known for his role as Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane on HBO’s Game of Thrones. A report from MMA Junkie quoted McGregor bragging about his “victory”:

It was a lot of fun. That’s a big man – 6-foot-9, 400 pounds, and I still folded him up. I was hitting him with some shots – I had to hit him with some shots. He was trying to hit me, as well. People say, ‘He was taking it easy.’ He tried to grab me and tried to pull my head off and I defended – freed the head. I was like, this motherf—-r is so big, I have to start smacking him to the body. … But I sunk him good. Not even a ‘Mountain’ can take these shots from me.

The fight was set up as part of McGregor’s training for the December 12 championship bout against Jose Aldo at UFC 194, where each fighter hopes to establish their dominance over the featherweight division.

At the time of the video’s release, Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter suggested McGregor was playing a risky strategy by taking on such unnecessary exercises in preparation for the biggest fight of his career to date:

Bjornsson is a man of epic proportions, and it’s due to that sheer size he was cast as a giant menace on Game of Thrones, but the Icelandic strongman brings his own share of athletic achievements to the octagon.

As well as being named Europe’s Strongest Man for the last two years running, the 27-year-old has also placed in the top three in the last four World’s Strongest Man tournaments.

Although verging toward World Wrestling Entertainment-style drama, the sparring session is likened by MMA Junkie to the meeting between Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972’s Game of Death.

That being said, there isn’t likely to have been many lessons McGregor learned from his meeting with the Mountain that would translate to a fixture against an opponent 14 inches shorter and more than 250 pounds lighter.

Aldo has grown accustomed to intimidation tactics in the build-up to Saturday’s title clash, with McGregor taking on the role of the aggressor throughout much of his rise up the UFC ranks.

The Dubliner recently put that confidence into words after proclaiming he’ll move for the UFC lightweight title after defeating Aldo, according to mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani: 

Fans will merely be glad McGregor came out of his sparring fun against the Mountain with no injuries, but a far different task awaits him at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand come December 12.

The interim champion may brag of “folding up” a 6’9″ titan, but the time for jokes is over as McGregor gets back to real business.

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Jose Aldo Aims Betting Jibe at Conor McGregor Ahead of UFC 194 Fight

Jose Aldo has advised all gamblers to place their bets on him if they’re looking to make money from his December clash against Conor McGregor, insisting he’s happy to embrace his underdog status.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight …

Jose Aldo has advised all gamblers to place their bets on him if they’re looking to make money from his December clash against Conor McGregor, insisting he’s happy to embrace his underdog status.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight title-holder heads into a unification bout opposite interim champion McGregor at UFC 194 on December 12. He spoke to Brazilian outlet Sportv, using Holly Holm’s shock win over Ronda Rousey as an example of how things don’t always go to script (h/t Bloody Elbow‘s Lucas Rezende):

Whoever wants to make money, all they have to do is bet on Aldo. It’ll be the easiest money they will ever make in their lives. Just like what happened to Ronda Rousey against Holly Holm. That’s not a problem for me. I don’t know who decides who gets to be the favorite. I focus on myself. I know what I can do and what I have to do to win.

The power balance of this featherweight decider has changed drastically over the course of 2015, and McGregor’s louder persona has installed him as the favoured fighter for the Las Vegas bout.

While the Dubliner has triumphed in two 2015 fixtures—the most recent of which came against Chad Mendes, Aldo’s stand-in at UFC 189—it’s been more than a year since Aldo last entered the Octagon (October 2014).

That may be one of the factors affecting the outright champion’s diminished reputation, but Aldo is by no means being treated as an easy target, with more than a decade having passed since his last defeat.

It’s a fight that’s been mired in controversy, from injury setbacks to disagreements over drug testing. The most recent outcry came from Aldo, who told Brazilian outlet Combate he wasn’t certain if McGregor was even being tested (h/t The 42.ie):

He’s not being tested In Ireland. I don’t even know if there’s a commission there. This commission had to be from Vegas or anywhere. We said that, like he said it a lot, we wanted to be tested every week at the same time, me and him, but it didn’t happen. I’m being tested a lot, they come here to the gym.

The featherweight division is still a relatively new platform to the UFC compared with its longer-standing weight classes, but a fixture between Aldo and McGregor promises to publicise this sector like never before.

Both fighters bring venomous striking to the bout, but while McGregor’s last four consecutive wins have come via knockout, Aldo has triumphed in his most recent two matches via decision.

It’s not quite the record many might have expected the UFC 194 combatants to boast making their way to the MGM Grand Arena, where fans can only hope this date lives up to its expectations.

Even if McGregor is favourite, his advantage may only be considered a slight one, and Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter has spoken of the unpredictability of this collision:

Aldo has reigned as the UFC”s only featherweight champion to date, and although McGregor’s hype train has a head of steam, there’s little doubt this will be the toughest test of his career.

If the interim champion isn’t proven already, this will be his greatest testing ground, and while Aldo laps up the underdog profile, perhaps the bigger question is whether McGregor will cope with being labelled the favourite.

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Daniel Cormier Talks Jon Jones UFC Rematch, Pay-Per-View Target, More

Daniel Cormier believes a rematch between him and Jon Jones has the potential to be a “really, really big” fight, one he feels can increase their previous pay-per-view numbers by more than double.
Speaking to MMAjunkie Radio this week (h/t MMAjunk…

Daniel Cormier believes a rematch between him and Jon Jones has the potential to be a “really, really big” fight, one he feels can increase their previous pay-per-view numbers by more than double.

Speaking to MMAjunkie Radio this week (h/t MMAjunkie‘s Steven Marrocco), the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight champion revealed 1.5 million PPV buys is the figure he’s hoping to hit:

Way over 1 million. I would love for us – for Jon and I – to do 1 million-and-a-half (buys). In our first one, we did 700,000, but there are a lot of factors that could make this one really big. Not only our rivalry, but Jon coming back from his legal issues. I believe that it can be a really, really big pay-per-view.

Cormier lost to Jones via unanimous decision in January, but the former came back to win in the wake of a hit-and-run incident that saw Bones stripped of the title, per the Associated Press (h/t Guardian).

There has been a buzz surrounding the seemingly inevitable rematch between the pair, funded in large part by the tension that arose between them, erupting in an on-stage brawl during the UFC 178 press tour, per MMA Weekly:

DC was a latecomer to the UFC and only made his debut for the promotion two-and-a-half years ago, but after signing a new eight-fight contract, per Marrocco, the 36-year-old is likely to be around for a long time to come.

Having submitted Anthony Johnson in May to claim the vacant title, he’s earned the right to be somewhat picky, but he also told MMAjunkie Radio, via Marrocco, he doesn’t want to fight at Madison Square Garden in Jones’ hometown, New York City:

I don’t want to do it. I don’t think he should be rewarded after coming off of what he came off of. I do look at it and say New York fans are some of the most vocal fans in the world, so what if I have a whole bunch of people who are against what Jon did? Maybe it could work different, because there’s no place in the country where, if you’re considered a bad guy, they will boo you louder and let you know more than New York City. But the chances of that happening are slim, because he’s from New York.

Cormier has every reason to believe there will be more interest in his second bout with Jones, whom the UFC reinstated six months after the hit-and-run that occurred in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The reigning light heavyweight champion has been open regarding his intent to offer Jones a shot at the belt, but mixed martial arts writer David Kano said a rematch has always been in the cards:

Clearly aware of how UFC fans are buying into his appeal as the light heavyweight champion, Cormier confessed the pay-per-view purchases for his meeting with Rumble clocked in at “less than 400,000.”

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden was also proved correct after learning his defence against Alexander Gustafsson would do even worse than that, with Cormier confirming that fight “did less than 300,000:”

The 1.5 million buys Cormier is shooting for would be gargantuan considering he detailed the 2010 encounter between Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did just 1 million.

After three fights in 2015, Cormier added he’s hoping to take a break, but if he wishes to capitalise on the hype surrounding Jones’ return and hit his dream numbers, the time for that respite isn’t now. 

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