Conor McGregor is a multi-millionaire, a two-time UFC world champion, a businessman, and a movie star. Now, you can…
Conor McGregor is a multi-millionaire, a two-time UFC world champion, a businessman, and a movie star. Now, you can add Tree Hugger to his resume.
Weeks away from his highly anticipated return to the Octagon on June 29, the Irish megastar shared a clip of himself getting in touch with nature, hugging some trees, and giving followers an unnecessarily long look at his bulge.
Conor McGregor and unusual behavior tend to go hand-in-hand, but this is definitely a new one for the Irishman.
McGregor’s quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history” will go down in just a few short weeks when the UFC celebrates another International Fight Week in Las Vegas. Mystic Mac’ is scheduled to headline UFC 303 opposite former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler.
It will be McGregor’s first fight since suffering a devastating leg break in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier nearly three years ago.
MMA Fans React to Conor McGregor’s Newfound Love of Nature
Photo By Roberto Plaza/Europa Press via Getty Images
Reigning UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria claims he already has a date for the promotion’s debut in Spain, where “El Matador” will make the first defense his 14…
Photo By Roberto Plaza/Europa Press via Getty Images
Reigning UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria claims he already has a date for the promotion’s debut in Spain, where “El Matador” will make the first defense his 145-pound title. No opponent has been confirmed just yet, but the leading candidates are former division champions Alex Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
Topuria also has his eye on No. 3-ranked contender Brian Ortega.
“We’re going to Spain,” UFC CEO Dana White told reporters during UFC 298’s post-fight press conference (watch it here). “If there’s a venue available for us, we’ll be there. We’re definitely going to Spain … and it would be a pay-per-view.”
Topuria was awarded Spanish citizenship by the Prime Minister just a few weeks back.
The promotion already has most (but not all) of its 2024 PPV cards mapped out (see them here). There appears to be openings for UFC 307, as well as UFC 309 And UFC 310 in November and December, depending on how things shake out.
According to TASS, a Russian news agency, Nurmagomedov’s team has called the reports “inaccurate.”
“The information about tax debt is inaccurate,” the statement read. “Khabib continues to engage in business projects and develop them” (h/t Championship Rounds).
Khabib Nurmagomedov facing serious penalties if found guilty
According to Article 199 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, tax evasion in the country is “punishable by a fine in the amount of 100 thousand to 300 thousand roubles ($1,094 to $3,284) or in the amount of the wage or salary, or any other income of the convicted person for a period of one to two years, or by an arrest for a term of four to six months, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to two years with or without deprivation of the right to hold specified offices or to engage in specified activities for a term of up to three years.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov has not competed inside the Octagon since securing his third-straight lightweight title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. He walked away from the sport with a perfect record of 29-0.
Since retiring, ‘The Eagle’ has kickstarted multiple businesses, including a cell phone network dubbed Eagle Mobile, a supplement and water company, an MMA club, and his own MMA promotion. According to the site Mash.ru, Russian authorities were upset that Nurmagomedov had taken the money earmarked for taxes and diverted it into business ventures outside the country.
Preliminary examinations of his many businesses reportedly “uncovered irregularities in documents,” leading to a full audit and the subsequent freezing of his accounts.
Oyamada takes down Dewanojo at Grand Sumo’s 2024 summer tournament. | Al Zullino/X
The bigger they are… the harder they fall. Being the ‘sumo guy’ in my social circle means that anytime something viral happens on the d…
Oyamada takes down Dewanojo at Grand Sumo’s 2024 summer tournament. | Al Zullino/X
The bigger they are… the harder they fall.
Being the ‘sumo guy’ in my social circle means that anytime something viral happens on the dohyo, my Whatsapp gets flooded with ‘OMG’ and ‘Did you see this?’ messages (like when Anthony Johnson and Curtis Blaydes threw down under sumo rules). And I’m not mad at that! I love it when friends notice sumo and provide me with an opening for telling them way more than they asked for.
This week I was inundated with a match that took place in the makushita (third division) during the ongoing natsu basho (summer tournament). Check it out in all its glory below (as shared by Al Zullino on X).
The bout features the 207 lbs Oyamada getting a win over the 556 lbs Dewanojo. Oyamada scored the win via an ashitori (leg pick), which to many of the MMA fans watching resembled a single leg takedown.
One of the many questions MMA observers had next was, “can you do single legs in sumo?”
Yes. Yes, you can. In sumo you lose if any part of your body, other than the soles of your feet touch the ground, or if you are forced out of the ring. Takedowns like what we saw from Oyamada are legal, but rare, since it’s hard to guarantee you won’t touch the ground before your opponent does.
The short list of illegal moves in sumo include: pulling hair, striking with a closed fist, choking, groin strikes and biting.
Another question this video raised was regarding weight classes in sumo, or lack thereof. In Grand Sumo (the most popular form of sumo, which is administered by the Japan Sumo Association), all rikishi compete in a tiered league system which has no weight classes. So bouts like the one above are common place.
You especially see matches like this in the makushita, which is the division directly below juryo and makuuchi. Those top two divisions are the only salaried divisions in the sport.
The makushita is stocked with 42 wrestlers hoping to gain promotion to juryo so they can start getting paid. Only a small percentage of these wrestlers will ever make it to the top two divisions. The majority of the makushita are men who either have a little bit of technique or a lot of size. Anyone who has both technique and size has a good shot of progressing to the salaried ranks.
Oyamada, who we saw win in the above clip, has OK technique, but he needs to either be elite in that department or add an ‘armor of fat’ if he hopes to make it to the top division (and join fellow small guy wrestlers Midorifuji and Tobizaru).
Above: The 250 lbs Midorifuji takes down the 330 lbs Shodai in this year’s Spring Tournament.
Oyamada is 24 and has competed in 13 tournaments. He trains out of the Naruto stable, which was established by Bulgarian sumo wrestler Kotooshu Katsunori in 2017. That stable is also home to current top division wrestler Oshoma.
Given his past performances, I give Oyamada a slim chance of making it to the salaried divisions. In the meantime, though, he will continue to be Naruto’s go-to guy for thirst trap vids.
Dewanojo is 30-years-old and a veteran of 73 tournaments. He’s never made it past makushita (and he likely never will). He trains at the Dewanoumi stable, alongside current top division wrestler Mitakeumi. He’s one of the heaviest men to ever compete in Grand Sumo.
I’ve been given the green-light to post sumo stories like this here at MMA Mania when they pop up. If you’re interested in more sumo content, including tournament updates and technical deep dives, you can check out my Substack Sumo Stomp!
And if you have any questions about sumo, throw them in the comments below and I’ll answer any that I can.
To close, check out this highlight reel of Enho (the most popular little guy ever) taking out giants.
“At the end of the day, no one gives a f**k about Mike. We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don’t give a f**k.” Jake Paul suggests his Mike Tyson figh…
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
“At the end of the day, no one gives a f**k about Mike. We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don’t give a f**k.”
Considering that boxers have been known to pass away inside the ring or shortly thereafter, as was the case with British pugilist Sherif Lawal last weekend in the United Kingdom, those comments stand in particularly poor taste. They may also reflect a troubling reality about their July 20 showdown on Netflix.
Their bout could in fact revolutionize boxing … but perhaps not the way they intended.
“I think it’s bad the commission licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn’t been active in 20 years, so they should not just license him because of who he is, that’s how people get hurt,” former WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder told Sportsbook Review (via Daily Mail). “God forbid he gets hurt. People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time, there’s lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It’s easy to do. He’s too old for this. At the end of the day, no one gives a f**k about Mike. We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don’t give a f**k.”
Outside of his exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. back in late 2020, Tyson has not competed since registering a referee technical decision loss to Kevin McBride in June 2005, when “Iron” was 38 years old. By the time he steps into the ring against Paul, 27, Tyson will be 58. That didn’t stop Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) from rubber-stamping his pro return.
At what cost remains to be seen.
“I don’t think anyone cares about Mike because if they did they wouldn’t sanction the fight,” Wilder continued. “They may say they’ve done tests and all that, okay, but as long as you’re willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong. His power may not have left completely but you still need to set it up, your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it’s going to look like a clown show. I don’t want to see it to be honest. I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a YouTuber. The last thing you do, that’s what people remember you by.”
MMA Mania brings you Sound & Pound. An original podcast that features previews, recaps, lists, prospects, and a Q&A. Oh, and a cool movie club. MMA Mania brings you Sound & Pound, an original podcast featuring previe…
MMA Mania brings you Sound & Pound. An original podcast that features previews, recaps, lists, prospects, and a Q&A. Oh, and a cool movie club.
MMA Mania brings you Sound & Pound, an original podcast featuring previews, recaps, lists, prospects, and a Q&A. Oh, and a cool movie club. All brought to you by yours truly, Alex Behunin and Drake Riggs.
This week, we’ll recap UFC St. Louis, preview Bellator Paris and UFC Vegas 92, and discuss everything in between. Watch it live at 3:00 P.M. EST every Tuesday or on replay in the player above on our YouTube channel.
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To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 92: “Barboza vs. Murphy” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team has denied reports that the UFC Hall of Famer owes Russia’s Federal Tax Service more than…
