UFC star Conor McGregor has told Floyd Mayweather he would be “dead in twenty seconds” if he fought the Irishman in a real fight.
He made the comments during the first leg of the press tour to hype their upcoming bout on August 26. The UFC uploaded&nbs…
UFC star Conor McGregor has told Floyd Mayweather he would be “dead in twenty seconds” if he fought the Irishman in a real fight.
He made the comments during the first leg of the press tour to hype their upcoming bout on August 26. The UFC uploaded video of the testy exchange (around the 9:09 mark) (warning: video contains NSFW language):
The two will come face-to-face four times during the press tour, which will travel from Los Angeles to Toronto, Brooklyn and London.
As expected, the Notorious didn’t hold back during the first stop in L.A., making numerous references to Mayweather’s supposed tax problems. According to legal website Law360 (h/t ESPN.com’sDarren Rovell), Money has asked for a reprieve on unpaid taxes from 2015 until after the fight.
Per radio presenter Michael Stets, Mayweather took the many references to heart:
While Money is the overwhelming favourite to win the bout―he has a perfect 49-0 record in the ring and has faced multiple future Hall of Famers, whereas McGregor has no professional boxing experience―most pundits would likely agree the Notorious would fare better in a “real fight.”
The UFC lightweight champion has the fearsome power and standup game to go with solid ground work, even if he’s better known for his knockouts. Whether that power will translate to the boxing ring remains to be seen.
Georges St-Pierre wants to return to the Octagon, but his comeback could be brief if it doesn’t go the way he wants.
“One thing I can tell you for sure is that I’m at one fight for retiring for good,” St-Pierre said on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helw…
Georges St-Pierre wants to return to the Octagon, but his comeback could be brief if it doesn’t go the way he wants.
“One thing I can tell you for sure is that I’m at one fight for retiring for good,” St-Pierre said on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, via Mike Heck of Fansided. “If I come back and I lose, this is it for me. If I come back and I lose, it’s finished.”
St-Pierre hasn’t competed in a UFC match since 2013.
The 36-year-old has discussed a comeback for more than a year and was set to face Michael Bisping until the bout was called off earlier this month, per Fox Sports Australia. The fight was set for July, but St-Pierre wanted to wait until after October.
UFC President Dana White was unwilling to wait for the veteran, instead moving forward with another fight for Bisping to defend his middleweight title.
“Georges St-Pierre is saying he will not be ready to compete now until November,” White said. “Who knows if that’s even the case. It could be next year.”
Prior to his leave of absence, St-Pierre was the UFC welterweight champion with a 25-2 record. His nine consecutive title defenses were the most in the league’s history until he vacated the belt in 2013.
The UFC announced Friday that light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will face Jon “Bones” Jones in the main event of UFC 214.
It will mark the second meeting between Cormier and Jones, as Jones won by unanimous decision in their bout at UFC 182.
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The UFC announced Friday that light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will face Jon “Bones” Jones in the main event of UFC 214.
It will mark the second meeting between Cormier and Jones, as Jones won by unanimous decision in their bout at UFC 182.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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UFC star Nate Diaz said he is not interested in fighting for interim titles after being offered a bout against Tony Ferguson.
According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Diaz was invited to compete for the interim lightweight title but instead c…
UFC star Nate Diaz said he is not interested in fighting for interim titles after being offered a bout against Tony Ferguson.
According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Diaz was invited to compete for the interim lightweight title but instead chose a non-title 165-pound catchweight.
“If you’re trying to pull me out of a normal life right now, I’m not doing it for a fake title at 155 pounds,” Diaz told ESPN.com. “I told them I’d take the fight at 165 pounds, no belt. I’m not interested in losing a bunch of weight for no reason.”
Diaz explained the UFC has not responded to his thoughts on the matter, and he has no upcoming match booked for the Octagon.
“We never talked after that,” Diaz said. “It’s really not a problem for me, though. You’re trying to call me out of my life. I didn’t call you begging for a fight. I’m fine with taking a fight, but I’m telling you what it’s going to take.”
UFC President Dana White recently addressed the Californian’s standing in the organisation, per Okamoto.
“The kid isn’t in a position for pay-per-view or any of that type of [stuff],” White said. “But this [Ferguson fight] could put him in a position. If he fought Tony Ferguson, it would be for the interim title.
“Obviously, if you held the interim title, you would get a piece of the pay-per-view. Diaz has to put himself in a position to make the pay-per-view money.”
Diaz’s biggest win of his career came against Conor McGregor at welterweight in March 2016, and he is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5.
Nate Diaz and the Nevada State Athletic Commission reached an agreement on a reduced punishment for his role in the confrontation with Conor McGregor at the UFC 202 press conference.
Ken Pishna of MMAWeekly.com reported Wednesday the sides agreed…
Nate Diaz and the Nevada State Athletic Commission reached an agreement on a reduced punishment for his role in the confrontation with Conor McGregor at the UFC 202 press conference.
Ken Pishna of MMAWeekly.com reported Wednesday the sides agreed to a $15,000 fine and 15 hours of community service. That’s a reduction from a $50,000 fine and 50 hours of community service.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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If there was any doubt lingering over who should’ve won last year’s Bellator middleweight championship bout between Rafael Carvalho and Melvin Manhoef, all doubt was put to rest Saturday at Bellator 176 in Turin, Italy, as Carvalho shut Manhoef&r…
If there was any doubt lingering over who should’ve won last year’s Bellator middleweight championship bout between Rafael Carvalho and Melvin Manhoef, all doubt was put to rest Saturday at Bellator 176 in Turin, Italy, as Carvalho shut Manhoef’s lights out with a brutal head kick in the fourth round.
Carvalho, now 14-1 in his career with an undefeated 5-0 record in Bellator, wasn’t doing so hot for the majority of the fight, as Manhoef was able to give the champion fits through the first three rounds. But all it took was one opening for Carvalho to strike, and strike he did.
The kick landed flush on Manhoef’s right cheek and silenced the crowd. Not out of disappointment, but out of shock.
The victory over Manhoef was Carvalho’s second win over the challenger and his second title defense.
It will be interesting to see who Bellator gives Carvalho next after his less than stellar performance, even though he did win by knockout.
Main Card Results
Rafael Carvalho def. Melvin Manhoef via knockout (Round 4, 3:15)
Anastasia Yankova def. Elina Kallionidou via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Mihail Nica def. Samba Coulibaly via submission (anaconda choke) (Round 1, 0:36)
Valeriu Mircea def. Djamil Chan via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Yankova takes care of business
Since Anastasia Yankova couldn’t make the 125-pound weight limit, her fight against 18-year-old prospect Eilina Kallionidou was set as a 133-pound catchweight bout. But even though Yankova showed up Saturday overweight, she didn’t have too much trouble against the teenager.
The fight didn’t have many great moments, but Yankova outlasted Kallionidou in the three rounds and won by unanimous decision mainly because she outworked the youngster and kept ring control for the majority of the fight.
Kallionidou had some good moments, but she just couldn’t keep Yankova at a distance with her jab, which allowed the Russian to sweep under Kallionidou’s lead punch and get inside for some strikes to the midsection.
You wouldn’t know it by watching the fight, but Kallionidou was a massive underdog heading into the co-main event of the evening, and even though she lost, she gained a lot of experience. There’s no doubt her stock increased after this one.
As for Yankova, the win was expected. But she might lose some confidence from the organization after showing up overweight. It’ll be worth monitoring whether the organization looks to book her for another fight anytime soon.
Nica makes quick work of Coulibaly
Saying that Mihail Nica is a dangerous fighter is an understatement; he is downright terrifying.
in his six career fights, the 26-year-old has finished all of his opponents (three KO, four submission) with five of the six finishes coming inside the first round. The other was a second-round TKO.
It didn’t take long for Nica to show why he is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the welterweight division after submitting Samba Coulibaly with an anaconda choke.
In fact, it only took 36 seconds for the Moldovan to get Coulibaly on the ground and force the tap.
It’s hard to ignore Nica’s talents any longer, and it won’t be long before he starts getting booked against fighters in the top five of the 170-pound division. There isn’t much more to say about this fight since it didn’t last long, but it would be wise to keep an eye on Nica’s stock in the future because Bellator’s welterweight division is loaded with great fighters, and Nica could soon be one of them.
Mircea wins over judges in too-close to call fight
Valeriu Mircea vs. Djamil Chan was one of the more exciting fights at Bellator 176, and it went down to the wire.
It can be argued that Chan deserved the victory or at the least—and probably the most fair result—a draw. But Mircea did have some good moments in the fight and earned the majority-decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28) victory.
Chan was able to get Mircea on the ground a lot during the fight, but for some reason, Mircea was the more active fighter while on his back than Chan was, even though he had the dominant position. It was a weird fight because Chan did so much work and did everything he had to do to get into position to win, but he just couldn’t put combinations together to make any significant impact.
For Mircea, the victory was his first for Bellator. He will look to improve his takedown defense moving forward. As for Chan, he needs to work on being a little bit more creative when in top position.
If he can learn how to transition from full guard to a side-mount/full-mount position and lay down some ground-and-pound, he could go a long way.
UFC star Conor McGregor has told Floyd Mayweather he would be “dead in twenty seconds” if he fought the Irishman in a real fight.