Tag: Breaking News

Dana White: Conor McGregor Won’t Headline UFC Return to Ireland, but He Could

It was probably hard to tell on Saturday night that when Conor McGregor walked out for his fight against Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 26 that he was neither in the main event nor even from the city of Boston, where the event was being held.
Judging …

It was probably hard to tell on Saturday night that when Conor McGregor walked out for his fight against Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 26 that he was neither in the main event nor even from the city of Boston, where the event was being held.

Judging by the ovation he received from the crowd, McGregor was treated like a headliner who had the entire city behind him with every punch he threw and takedown he landed.

It doesn’t hurt of course that Boston boasts the largest percentage of Irish population in the country, so when Ireland’s own McGregor hit the Octagon, he was received like it was his homecoming.

Three rounds and 15 minutes later, McGregor stood proud as the winner with an Irish flag draped over his shoulders and an entire city living and breathing with his every word.

After the fights were over, as McGregor sat with sunglasses and a hat on while wearing a stylish bow tie at the post-fight press conference, he once again became the center of attention with his brash and candid responses to every question asked.

The hype and attention surrounding McGregor is only growing, and with his UFC record now sitting at 2-0 it’s onward and upward to even bigger and better things.

One place McGregor will assuredly land in 2014 is for a home show when the UFC finally returns to Ireland next year. UFC president Dana White confirmed on Saturday night that the promotion would return to Ireland in the third quarter of 2014, which would mark the first UFC show there since UFC 93 landed there in January 2009.

With a new TV deal in place to broadcast in Ireland, the UFC has been talking about returning to the Emerald Isle for some time now, and it seems the Irish fans will finally get a show next year.

McGregor’s place on the card is as close to a guarantee as anything the UFC could promise this far in advance, but how far up the card could he be promoted?

While the hype around McGregor is at a fevered pitch right now, he’s still only 2-0 in the UFC with both of his fights taking place on the preliminary portion of the card. Those factors don’t matter when it comes to McGregor’s popularity in Ireland, but they do make a difference in other parts of the world where they have to broadcast the show.

“He could headline, are you kidding me? If he headlined a card in Dublin it would be insane,” White said about McGregor. “He’s not ready to headline. He’s 2-0 he’s headlining the card! It would be great in Ireland, it wouldn’t be so great everywhere else. He could headline in Ireland.”

Before McGregor tries to prove White wrong by winning his next couple of fights before returning to a UFC card in Ireland, he first has to get his knee checked out after suffering an injury to it on Saturday night.

McGregor stated that during the bout against Holloway he heard a pop in his knee, and it forced him to abandon his striking game and work for the takedown instead.

White said after the fights that they would fly McGregor out to Las Vegas to visit with their doctor to have him checked out, and hopefully the injuries are nothing too severe.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Would the UFC Consider Cutting Alistair Overeem After 2nd Straight KO Loss?

Alistair Overeem faces an uncertain future with the UFC after he dropped his second straight fight on Saturday night after being finished by Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26.
It also marked the second straight knockout loss for the former K-1 Grand …

Alistair Overeem faces an uncertain future with the UFC after he dropped his second straight fight on Saturday night after being finished by Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26.

It also marked the second straight knockout loss for the former K-1 Grand Prix champion.

When Overeem signed with the UFC after exiting Strikeforce in 2011, he was immediately tossed into title discussion and was offered a shot at the gold on day one, but he passed so he wouldn’t have to sit out and wait for the fight.

In the interim, Overeem blasted through former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in the fight that would end his career, and once again the Dutch striking legend was on top of the world.

That moment still stands as the lone highlight on Overeem’s UFC resume, however, because the 20 months since that time have been anything but a dream come true.

Just weeks away from his shot at the UFC heavyweight title in March 2012, Overeem tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a pre-fight drug screening. Not only was he removed from the championship main event, but he was effectively suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the infraction.

When he returned in 2013, Overeem was then knocked out by fellow former Strikeforce heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in one of the biggest upsets in the division. Then on Saturday night after looking like he was seconds away from victory, it all came crashing down on Overeem as Browne planted his foot firmly on his chin late into the first round.

Overeem crashed to the mat, and with just a couple of more punches Brown stood victorious—and the former Strikeforce and K-1 champion was getting up off the mat feeling the sting of another knockout defeat.

Following the fight, UFC president Dana White was asked about Overeem’s future with the promotion after he was brought in amidst so much hype, but thus far has failed to live up to expectation outside of his lone win over Lesnar.

“You guys especially all believed that he was the best at one time. He had a big following, and we bring a guy like that in and you see what happens,” White said about Overeem following the conclusion of the UFC Fight Night 26 post-fight press conference. “We bring in the best guys in the world, guys who are supposedly the best guys in the world and we find out, that’s what we do.”

White rarely ever makes decisions about a fighter’s future on the night of an event, good or bad.

At this point there’s no telling what White and the UFC will ultimately decide to do with Overeem, and when he was asked if the heavyweight fighter would return, White answered, “I have no idea, I don’t even think about that stuff tonight.”

Beyond his in-cage performances, Overeem is currently one of the highest-paid fighters on the UFC roster. For his debut bout against Lesnar, Overeem raked in over $385,000, while he made over $285,000 for his losing effort against Silva in 2013.

There are no salary figures reported for Saturday night’s show in Boston, but it’s likely Overeem was once again one of the most highly compensated fighters on the card.

With two losses in a row, both by knockout, and options dwindling in the heavyweight top 10, Overeem’s future may come down to cost versus reward—and right now he’s not living up to his end of the bargain.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Reza Madadi Cut from the UFC After Receiving Prison Sentence

Boston-After Reza Madadi was sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence earlier this week, it was only a matter of time before he was cut from the UFC roster.
The promotion had suspended his contract while Madadi awaited sentencing, but at the post-…

Boston-After Reza Madadi was sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence earlier this week, it was only a matter of time before he was cut from the UFC roster.

The promotion had suspended his contract while Madadi awaited sentencing, but at the post-press conference media scrum following UFC Fight Night 26, UFC President Dana White informed the media the 35-year-old Iranian-born lightweight was going to be released from the organization.

“If [Madadi] stole a bunch of handbags and was convicted of it, I’m sure he’s going to be cut,” White responded when asked about the situation.

News of the release comes one day after Madadi was sentenced to prison by a Swedish court for his role in an aggravated burglary in his home country. In reports released by MMAytt (in Swedish) and MMA Fighting, Medadi was one of three men who smashed the glass on the front door of an upscale department store and stole a collection of handbags worth over $150,000.

Prior to the crime, Madadi had been successful in two of his three showings under the UFC banner. In his most recent outing against TUF alum Michael Johnson at UFC on Fuel TV 9 in Stockholm, “Mad Dog” earned the victory by finishing the Team Blackzilians fighter via d’arce choke in the third round.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

 

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UFC Plans Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler Fight but No Date or Location Yet

Rory MacDonald won’t get the matchup he’s been requesting for his next fight, but he certainly has a tall order on his hands.
The Canadian welterweight had been asking the UFC for a second shot at top-three fighter Carlos Condit after he lost to him ju…

Rory MacDonald won’t get the matchup he’s been requesting for his next fight, but he certainly has a tall order on his hands.

The Canadian welterweight had been asking the UFC for a second shot at top-three fighter Carlos Condit after he lost to him just a few years ago at UFC 115 in a brutal TKO, which accounts for his only professional loss as a fighter.

Condit is awaiting his fight when he takes on Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night 27 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Aug. 28, so in the meantime, the UFC has opted to move forward with another bout for MacDonald.

MacDonald will now face knockout artist Robbie Lawler in a welterweight showdown later this year, although a date and location have not been named for the newly confirmed bout.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the fight when speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the UFC Fight Night 26 post-fight press conference on Saturday evening.

“We like that fight. I think so yeah,” White said when asked if MacDonald vs. Lawler was going to happen.

White did say “no” when asked if the UFC had a date or location planned for the welterweight bout.

Lawler has been on fire since coming back to the UFC earlier this year, which marked nearly nine years between appearances in the promotion.

The former Strikeforce fighter dropped back down to welterweight once he returned to the UFC and made an immediate impact in his return when he knocked out former title contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 157.

He then looked just as impressive in his second fight where he landed a thunderous head kick to finish off Bobby Voelker at UFC on Fox 8 in July.

Now Lawler will take another step forward in the division when he takes on a top-three ranked welterweight in MacDonald.

There are several possibilities in terms of which show a fight between MacDonald and Lawler could land on this year. The UFC has already filled out the schedule for pay-per-views and main events all the way through the end of December 2013, but there are plenty of spots to fill for upcoming UFC Fight Night cards on Fox Sports 1.

The UFC has committed to several shows that will take place on Wednesday nights throughout the fall and winter months, and a MacDonald vs. Lawler bout could be the perfect fight to fill one of the main event slots.

Whatever show it ends up on, MacDonald vs. Lawler will have a definite impact on the welterweight rankings, with both fighters gunning for title contention in the next 12 months.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Lyoto Machida Calls Out Chael Sonnen Following Vitor Belfort Challenge

Lots of folks are looking for a piece of Chael Sonnen these days. Following an impressive submission victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, “The American Gangster” called out former Pride great Wanderlei Silva.
Not so fast, though.
Vitor Belfort thre…

Lots of folks are looking for a piece of Chael Sonnen these days. Following an impressive submission victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, “The American Gangster” called out former Pride great Wanderlei Silva.

Not so fast, though.

Vitor Belfort threw his hat into the Chael Sonnen ring immediately after. Now even less fast! Former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida also expressed his interest to fight the powerful wrestler, via Twitter: 

When a number of former champions line up to fight you, it must mean you’re doing something right.

Sonnen has had a long-standing feud with Brazilian fighters ever since his wide-ranging rants regarding at-the-time middleweight champ Anderson Silva. During the year-and-a-half he jawed at “The Spider,” he took shots at numerous well-regarded teammates and former teammates, including both Belfort and Machida, as well as other random fighters such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

As one of the most recognizable, marketable and (like it or not) popular fighters in the sport, Sonnen is a hot commodity, and the big win at UFC Fight Night 26 makes him an even better opponent. 

While fights with Silva, Machida and Belfort are all marketable and make sense from a ratings and rankings perspective, the big question here is what Sonnen plans to do in terms of his weight. Last month, Sonnen expressed the desire to go back down to his old stomping grounds at 185 pounds after two fights at 205 pounds.

Belfort has been locked in as the top contender at 185 pounds for a little while now. Machida has been at 205 pounds for the majority of his career but recently expressed interest in a fight with Belfort and has always been a candidate for a drop to middleweight. Silva fought at middleweight from 2010 through 2012 but went back to light heavyweight earlier this year for his fight with Brian Stann and plans to stay there.

Focusing strictly on a fight with Machida, it would be one of the most interesting striker-vs.-grappler matchups of all time. However, if Chris Weidman maintains his spot as champion, Sonnen could realistically find himself challenging for the middleweight belt again.

A win over Belfort would instantly make him a top contender, and that isn’t the case with Machida. Regardless, keep an eye on how things pan out with Sonnen from here.

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Dana White Goes off on Twitter, Calls Uriah Hall vs. John Howard ‘Horrible’

Uriah Hall’s days as Dana White’s golden child likely ended at UFC Fight Night 26.
On Saturday night, The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 runner-up once again failed to live up to his enormous expectations after losing a lackluster split decisio…

Uriah Hall’s days as Dana White’s golden child likely ended at UFC Fight Night 26.

On Saturday night, The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 runner-up once again failed to live up to his enormous expectations after losing a lackluster split decision to John Howard.

Both Hall and Howard seemed to be on another planet throughout the majority of the fight. Despite being showered with boos, the middleweights constantly touched gloves and exchanged smiles as if they were locked in a surefire “Fight of the Night.”

It was like grown men playing “Patty Cake” in the middle of a fight.

Hall started off strong utilizing his length and speed to dance around on the outside and pick Howard apart with his jab. Whenever Howard made desperate attempts to close the distance, Hall would keep him at bay with well-timed knees.

Eventually, Howard forced Hall on his heels with wild overhands and hooks, which in turn opened up opportunities for him to close the distance and work for takedowns. Things really began to unravel for Hall when the fight became a grappling match. By the time the second round rolled around, he was already running on fumes.  

UFC president Dana White, who was obviously irate at Hall’s performance, hopped on Twitter after the bout and offered up a new fight bonus, “the high 5 fight of the night.”

Hardcore fans wondered why Hall and Howard even received a main card slot in the first place, especially if it meant Michael McDonald vs. Brad Pickett had to be pushed down to the undercard.

It was just desserts in the end, as McDonald and Pickett won honors for “Fight of the Night.”

Hall is certainly a tremendous prospect who commands a lot of attention, but McDonald and Pickett are both top-five bantamweights, according to UFC.com.

How does a bout between two of the best bantamweights in the world get snubbed for Hall vs. Howard?

By now, White is probably wondering the same thing.

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