Author: Tyler Conway

Holly Holm Comments on Ronda Rousey Rematch, Hopes to Fight Before UFC 200

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm ascended to superstardom by knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193, but she may have wound up ruining her rhythm in the process.
Commenting on her expected rematch with Rousey at UFC 200, Holm seemed concerned…

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm ascended to superstardom by knocking out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193, but she may have wound up ruining her rhythm in the process.

Commenting on her expected rematch with Rousey at UFC 200, Holm seemed concerned about her potential lengthy layoff, according to Lewis Mckeever of Bloody Elbow:

Eight months between fights is a long time. Maybe not for some, but in boxing I used to fight four times a year for title fights. I was very active. This year is three fights in a year. I still feel like it’s active. To go eight months without one, we’re not even averaging two a year at that rate. So it’s kind of like, man that’s a really long time from now.

UFC 200 is scheduled for July 9 of next year, which is nearly eight full months after Holm’s Nov. 15 shocking knockout win. Rousey told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN The Magazine: “It might be three to six months before I can eat an apple, let alone take an impact.”

Holm and her management team have tried putting public pressure on UFC President Dana White to allow her to fight a match between the two Rousey bouts. Miesha Tate, currently ranked as the top contender, has been mentioned as a potential opponent. However, White has not budged and told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times that Holm will wait for Rousey.

Obviously, this is a business decision as much as a competitive one. It does UFC no good to put Holm in the ring against anyone who isn’t Rousey at this point. Their rematch will be among the most anticipated fights in the sport’s history. Having Holm risk potentially losing against Tate is an unnecessary risk that would completely ruin the financial bonanza that’s coming for all parties in July, which is something Holm seems to understand, per Mckeever:

I’ll embrace it if that’s the next fight. If I get a fight before then, then that’s great. I like to go with the flow. I don’t want to force anything. I don’t like anything to feel like it’s having to push. I want to feel like it’s flowing. I like to kind of go with it. Ride the wave, I guess you’d say.

Waiting on Rousey might not be the best thing for Holm’s physical readiness. But her camp should be smart here and play the waiting game; it’s going to reap massive rewards in her bank account.

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Sues New York State over MMA Ban: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

After years of being barred from holding events in New York state, UFC is finally fighting back.
MMA’s top promotion filed a federal lawsuit Monday looking to overturn the longstanding ban on the sport, saying the law “is so badly written that neither …

After years of being barred from holding events in New York state, UFC is finally fighting back.

MMA‘s top promotion filed a federal lawsuit Monday looking to overturn the longstanding ban on the sport, saying the law “is so badly written that neither ordinary persons nor state officials are able to say with any certainty what it permits and what it prohibits,” per Stephen Rex Brown of the New York Daily News.

Mixed martial arts events have been banned in New York state since 1996. New York is the only state with a formal ban on MMA, which has led to a groundswell of criticism as the sport’s grown in popularity. 

“We’re professional athletes,” UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman said earlier this year, per Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News. “The majority of us are college graduates. We’re doing this for a living. We entertain the rest of the world—but not New York. It’s ludicrous.”  

Theories on why the state has kept its ban have run rampant, with UFC president Dana White indicating it has to do with the promotion’s ownership. New York state’s battle with Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta is centered on the brothers’ casinos being non-union establishments, which runs counter to the pro-union stance of the state.

As White said before UFC 129 in 2011 (via Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting): 

It has nothing to do with mixed martial arts the reason that we’re not in New York. It has to do with the Culinary Union. The Culinary Union is spending millions of dollars of all these people who pay dues to keep us out of there because my partners, the Fertitta brothers, are the largest non-union gaming company in the country. So these union idiots, all these people work in the Culinary Union, pay their money towards dues, this is what all their money’s being spent towards. Fighting the UFC from coming there and bringing money into the state of New York.

The suit filed in federal court Monday claims New York’s ban on MMA is too vague to be upheld. It contends other MMA-related events are allowed to take place in the state, and that it’s unfairly written in a way that singles out UFC. The promotion previously sued New York in 2011, but that was thrown out by a court.

If the new suit gains some steam, it could mean UFC will finally get a chance to host an event at Madison Square Garden. Given the way the court system works, though, we’re likely years away from finding out. 

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter

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Ronda Rousey Talks Being UFC’s Highest-Paid Fighter, Crying and More on ‘Ellen’

UFC President Dana White once said women would never be hired by his promotion. Now, a woman is his highest-paid fighter.   
Appearing on Ellen on Monday, Ronda Rousey told the popular talk-show host that no fighter—male or female&…

UFC President Dana White once said women would never be hired by his promotion. Now, a woman is his highest-paid fighter.   

Appearing on Ellen on Monday, Ronda Rousey told the popular talk-show host that no fighter—male or female—makes more when stepping into a UFC ring.

“Now I’m the highest paid fighter in the UFC,” Rousey said, per the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s pretty cool. It’s fun to say.”

There has been little doubt for a couple of years that Rousey, 28, is the sport’s most dominant and popular athlete. She has won five of her first six UFC bouts in the first round, including a 34-second thrashing of Bethe Correia in August. Her last three fights combined have gone a total of 64 seconds.

Yet, despite her dominance, Rousey said on Ellen she still gets overcome with emotion—to the point she cried before the Correia fight:

You’re so amped up and it’s like every emotion that you could possibly have it happens during that week. It’s like the most stress, most anxiety, most pressure possible and then it’s the happiest you could possibly be. It’s all these things and it’s just sometimes you cant hold it in. It’s gotta leak out of somewhere why not your eyes?

There appears to be no stopping Rousey’s mainstream popularity, either. She appeared at WrestleMania earlier this year, and it was announced last week that she will be starring in a remake of the 1980s classic Road House as the lead character. With a burgeoning film career and interests outside of the sport, it’s likely White will have to write bigger and bigger checks to keep Rousey coming back to the UFC ring.

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Ronda Rousey Talks Being UFC’s Highest-Paid Fighter, Crying and More on ‘Ellen’

UFC President Dana White once said women would never be hired by his promotion. Now, a woman is his highest-paid fighter.   
Appearing on Ellen on Monday, Ronda Rousey told the popular talk-show host that no fighter—male or female&…

UFC President Dana White once said women would never be hired by his promotion. Now, a woman is his highest-paid fighter.   

Appearing on Ellen on Monday, Ronda Rousey told the popular talk-show host that no fighter—male or female—makes more when stepping into a UFC ring.

“Now I’m the highest paid fighter in the UFC,” Rousey said, per the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s pretty cool. It’s fun to say.”

There has been little doubt for a couple of years that Rousey, 28, is the sport’s most dominant and popular athlete. She has won five of her first six UFC bouts in the first round, including a 34-second thrashing of Bethe Correia in August. Her last three fights combined have gone a total of 64 seconds.

Yet, despite her dominance, Rousey said on Ellen she still gets overcome with emotion—to the point she cried before the Correia fight:

You’re so amped up and it’s like every emotion that you could possibly have it happens during that week. It’s like the most stress, most anxiety, most pressure possible and then it’s the happiest you could possibly be. It’s all these things and it’s just sometimes you cant hold it in. It’s gotta leak out of somewhere why not your eyes?

There appears to be no stopping Rousey’s mainstream popularity, either. She appeared at WrestleMania earlier this year, and it was announced last week that she will be starring in a remake of the 1980s classic Road House as the lead character. With a burgeoning film career and interests outside of the sport, it’s likely White will have to write bigger and bigger checks to keep Rousey coming back to the UFC ring.

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rodrigo Nogueira Retires: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Rodrigo Nogueira, last seen in the Octagon losing to Stefan Struve via unanimous decision at UFC 190, announced his retirement Tuesday.  
Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting reported the news, noting Nogueira will officially take a posit…

Rodrigo Nogueira, last seen in the Octagon losing to Stefan Struve via unanimous decision at UFC 190, announced his retirement Tuesday.  

Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting reported the news, noting Nogueira will officially take a position within the UFC. 

“‘Big Nog’ is a legend in the sport of MMA,” UFC President Dana White said, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting. “He is respected by fighters and fans worldwide. It has been an honor to watch him compete and I’m happy to see him retire. He will be a huge asset to the UFC, the athletes and the sport as an ambassador. I look forward to working with him in this new chapter of his life.“

Nogueira, 39, held the UFC Heavyweight Championship on an interim basis in 2008 and also held the strap in the Pride Fighting Championships. He has participated in the UFC since 2007 but has begun showing his age in recent fights. Struve’s victory at last month’s pay-per-view was Nogueira’s third straight loss and fourth in his last five fights.

“I love Big Nog and I think everybody loves Big Nog. He’s such a good guy. He’s respected by everybody. He and I actually talked tonight,” White said after UFC 190, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports. “I’m done. I don’t want to see him fight anymore. He doesn’t disagree.”

Nogueira finishes his professional career with a 34–10–1 record with one no-contest. Six of his losses came in a UFC ring, as he went 5-6 overall in the promotion. It’s unclear what exact role Nogueira will hold within the organization, but White said it would be similar to deals given to other former fighters. 

“He and I are going to get together and we’re going to talk,” White said, per Martin. “I’m probably going to give him the Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and Forrest Griffin deal—we’d bring him in and make him an employee.”

Whatever comes next for Nogueira, it’s promising that he and White both recognize that it’s time for him to walk away. Giving him a job represents a best-of-both-worlds ending for both parties.

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 190 Start Time: Full Card, TV Schedule, Live Stream, Rousey vs Correia Picks

UFC 190 is Saturday night. That sentence isn’t exactly exciting without context. UFC holds a pay-per-view on a monthly basis and a number of cable TV events. The level of mainstream attention given to the MMA world depends wholly on the names on the ma…

UFC 190 is Saturday night. That sentence isn’t exactly exciting without context. UFC holds a pay-per-view on a monthly basis and a number of cable TV events. The level of mainstream attention given to the MMA world depends wholly on the names on the marquee.

Luckily, UFC 190 has the biggest star of the show taking the big stage.

Ronda Rousey will square off against Bethe Correia in the night’s main event, marking her sixth bout since joining the UFC in 2013. Over those two years, Rousey has risen from semi-obscurity to one of the biggest faces in sports. She’s been on the cover of countless magazines, thrown consistent verbal barbs in the direction of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and even appeared at WrestleMania.

Oh, and she’s super awesome at her job. Only one of Rousey‘s 11 previous professional fights have made it out of the first round. She’s gone a combined 30 seconds in her last two wins, and eight of her bouts have lasted under a minute. Rousey talked about those quick finishes, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports:

I think it’s gotten to the point where people are becoming aware that this is a very, very special time. And if they decide to do something else that day, it’s going to be a moment that they could have witnessed and didn’t. I’m not going to call it and say oh, this fight’s going to end in under 20 seconds because I’m not. Those fights that ended that quickly, I did not intend for them to end that quickly. It’s just that’s how it ended up because I improvise while I’m out there.

Like the challengers that came before, Correia boasts an impressive resume coming into Saturday. She’s undefeated in her nine career fights, including three impressive wins since joining the UFC. The 32-year-old has only two career knockouts, but she specializes in defeating her opponents with top-notch technique and in-ring smarts. Correia talked about going up against Rousey, per Martin:

I can go in there and beat her. Even in the interview she did recently where she said she was going to use me as an example of what not to do for the other girls coming up—it’s something she’s trying to make herself seem so dangerous and make people fear her in a way. She’s trying to create this illusion around herself, and it’s making me want to go out there and do justice for everyone else.

To be fair, Rousey‘s performances have backed up the “illusion” of her unbeatability. There has never been a more dominant in-ring competitor than Rousey; she’s playing on a different field than her competitors every time she steps into the Octagon. Odds Shark currently places the odds of Rousey winning the fight at 1-14, which means you’d have to bet $1,400 to win a measly $100.

For comparison, Vegas Insider currently has Mayweather as a 1-45 favorite for his upcoming bout with Andre Berto. Given MMA’s tendency for more flukey results—even the all-time greats have been undone by one small mistake—it’s fair to say Rousey and Mayweather stand alone on their respective platforms.

If Rousey‘s name on the marquee wasn’t enough to sell the fight—and it is—the UFC 190 fight card is loaded with six fights before the main event. Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will fight in light heavyweight action, two finals from The Ultimate Fighter 4 will be decided, and a pair of rising heavyweight bouts will also take place. The women’s strawweight championship eliminator between Jessica Aguilar and Claudia Gadelha should give the night another solid women’s bout.

For a promotion that once vehemently denounced women’s mixed martial arts, it’s amazing that Rousey has blazed this path in such a short time. It’s fair to wonder if any of these women would be getting the chance they will get going forward without her.

On Saturday, we’ll see if one of them can knock her off her throne.

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