Tag: Breaking News

UFC Fight Night 26 Results: Conor McGregor Overcomes Knee Injury, Bests Holloway

At UFC Fight Night 26 Saturday night, the Boston faithful bent over backward to welcome Irish hype monster Conor McGregor to their city and the UFC Octagon. McGregor did what he could to justify their adulation, despite possibly injuring his knee halfw…

At UFC Fight Night 26 Saturday night, the Boston faithful bent over backward to welcome Irish hype monster Conor McGregor to their city and the UFC Octagon. McGregor did what he could to justify their adulation, despite possibly injuring his knee halfway through the effort.

In the only fight of his career to go the distance, 25-year-old featherweight McGregor (15-2) didn’t score the flashy knockout he’s known for, but he did outland and control Max Holloway (7-3) for a unanimous decision victory.

After the fight, McGregor told broadcaster Joe Rogan that his “knee popped” during the second round and then noticeably limped out of the cage. Soon after, UFC President Dana White tweeted an informal confirmation:

 

 

 

What we will remember about this fight:

Two things. First, the hype, which reached almost unbearable decibel levels as the contest drew near, and hit its crescendo when the TD Garden lights went dark and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys issued from the speakers. It was a touch, eh, atypical for a prelim fighter to get the main-event treatment, but it was fitting given the circumstances.

Second was McGregor’s full control of the fight. He worked hard in all phases to gain a victory that might have been more convincing to the hardcore set than another first-round TKO. And it only gains more credence in light of the knee injury.

 

What we learned about Conor McGregor:

He’s got ground game. I’m not saying he’s the best grappler I’ve ever seen—Holloway thoroughly thwarted McGregor’s attempts to pass guard in the first ground sequence—but he showed he knows what he’s doing and is willing to engage down there.

McGregor, who trains with world-class grappler Gunnar Nelson in Ireland, has always insisted he is well-rounded. Looks like there might be some truth to that.

If he did seriously injure his knee, he also showed great toughness and strategic flexibility in pulling out the win.
 

What we learned about Max Holloway:

At 21 years old, Holloway is still the UFC’s youngest fighter. He was game throughout, trading with McGregor and even throwing head kicks at McGregor in the fight’s final seconds.

But he showed his grappling and strength need work. He wasn’t the best prospect in the cage Saturday night. But he’s the first fighter to take McGregor all the way, and he’ll have other chances.

 

What’s next for McGregor:

Time for a small but real step forward on the featherweight ladder. I’d suggest the winner between Rony Jason and Jeremy Stephens, who face off in October. Jason is very well-rounded, while Stephens is a knockout artist of the purest order. Could be fun.

 

What’s next for Holloway:

I’d like to see what the young striker could do against a veteran. How about Mizuto Hirota, who is in bad need of a win in his next engagement?

 

 

 

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UFC Fight Night 26 Results: Alistair Overeem vs Travis Browne Live Blog

Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne will square off in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 26, which will air live tonight on the brand new Fox Sports 1 network at Boston’s TD Garden.
The Facebook prelims will begin at 4 p.m., the prelims on Fox Sports…

Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne will square off in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 26, which will air live tonight on the brand new Fox Sports 1 network at Boston’s TD Garden.

The Facebook prelims will begin at 4 p.m., the prelims on Fox Sports 1 will start at 6 p.m., and the main card will kick off at 8 p.m.

Less than a year after failing a pre-fight drug test and squandering his chance to fight then-heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos, Overeem saw his 12-fight unbeaten streak come to a halt at UFC 156. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva shockingly KO’d the favored Overeem early in the third round, effectively derailing the mass hysteria that surrounded “The Demolition Man.”

The once-beaten Browne also suffered a devastating loss recently at the hands of Bigfoot, although the gargantuan Hawaiian bounced back in his last bout with a first-round KO of Gabriel Gonzaga at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. 

But regardless of Overeem’s recent pitfalls, aggregate betting website Bovada.com has deemed The Demolition Man a 2.3-to-1 (-230) favorite to top Browne (+180).

Join Bleacher Report later in the night for pre-fight hype, post-fight reactions and play-by-play coverage of the Overeem/Browne tilt. 

 

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Boston City Council President Says UFC Stars Promote Violence Against Women

Not all Bostonians are excited to have the UFC Fight Night 26: Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen in their city, especially when it comes to the children having access to the event. Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy made it clear he is not …

Not all Bostonians are excited to have the UFC Fight Night 26: Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen in their city, especially when it comes to the children having access to the event. Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy made it clear he is not a fan of mixed martial arts and what he believes it teaches children.

The councilman recently sponsored a citywide petition that would ban minors from attending mixed martial arts events within Boston. The ban would keep children from the event even if parents or guardians over the age of 18 accompanied them.

On NECN’s “The Morning Show,” Murphy made his feelings on the combat sport clear:

I filed a resolution not so much for the behavior in the cage, as the behavior outside of the ring of some of the stars of the UFC and there haven’t been sanctions. They are all over YouTube and the internet which is a great source of information for kids. They are promoting violence against women, teaching kids how to rape and stuff that is way over the top, the behavior. There has been no official sanction from UFC, the governing body that employs all these guys.

The YouTube video the councilman implicated in his statement was one made by former light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson. The former champ made a tongue-in-cheek video regarding how to pick up women wherein he mockingly used chloroform. Jackson later admitted the piece was made to try and get himself fired from the UFC.

Subsequent rape-related, or otherwise insensitive, remarks made by UFC fighters have come with suspensions, firings and/or fines from the company. Such comments include a television reference involving a rape van made by former bantamweight contender Miguel Torres and abusive comments against a transgender individual made by heavyweight Matt Mitrione.

The petition pushed by Murphy is backed by the Culinary Union, the same group fighting to keep the UFC out of New York. Dana White has already dismissed the social concerns of individuals like Councilman Murphy, as there appear to be no concerns over other violent sports such as boxing or football within the city or state.

While the comments are sure to rile up some UFC/MMA fans, the councilman is not wholly ignorant to the positive aspects of the sport as well.

“It’s great for discipline, physical training and these guys are athletes. On one level, it’s really professional. It’s the level that I’m talking about, the social behavior, the anti-social behavior.”

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Brock Lesnar: ‘There’s Days I Think I Could Get Back in the Octagon’

Since overcoming diverticulitis, Brock Lesnar is healthy for the first time in a long time. In fact, he is so healthy that he feels he could return to fighting in the UFC.
But would he?
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, per Lance Pugmire, the…

Since overcoming diverticulitis, Brock Lesnar is healthy for the first time in a long time. In fact, he is so healthy that he feels he could return to fighting in the UFC.

But would he?

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, per Lance Pugmire, the former UFC heavyweight champ talked about his health and whether or not he would ever consider putting on a pair of four ounce gloves again.

“Now I feel great; there’s days I think I can get back into the octagon and be the same human being I was before. But I’m on another chapter.”

Before he was diagnosed with an intestinal disorder, it appeared Lesnar had finally found his niche in the UFC. He served as the face of the promotion, and for a while, many believed he was the best heavyweight in the world.

Looking back, it’s truly astonishing to be reminded of the kind of impact Lesnar had on the heavyweight division.

The argument that size doesn’t matter seemed dubious in regard to Lesnar, who changed opinions on what a prototypical heavyweight was supposed to look like. Fighters like Frank Mir went on intense bulking regimens in hopes of leveling the playing field and one day competing with Lesnar’s gargantuan size.

Unfortunately, life in the UFC was short-lived for Lesnar. In October 2009, he was diagnosed with diverticulitis and forced to undergo serious intestinal surgery.

Lesnar would eventually bounce back after a nine-month layoff, but he was never the same fighter after the surgery. Part of the reason could be chalked up to facing tougher opposition. Lesnar was defeated by current heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem in his final UFC bouts.

Another part has to be credited to the unrelenting illness that somehow crept its way back into Lesnar’s career again and again. Lesnar told the LA Times that “bad timing” was always his primary issue:

You’ve always got that part in your mind. I do miss it, but I’ve got to keep myself in check. What I went through the last few years was quite traumatic, not being able to fight like I wanted. I got back on the horse way too soon. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. That chapter in my life has come to closure, and I’m comfortable with it…

Life for me has always been about timing, and it was bad timing for that disease to hit me. I’ve never really sat and pondered about what I could’ve done differently or how things could’ve been, but I wasn’t the same guy.

Lesnar may have moved on, but as a fan, it’s hard not to ponder what could have been. What if he never got sick? What if he got into MMA sooner?

“Coulda, shoulda, woulda” sounds about right when describing Lesnar’s MMA career.  

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UFC Fight Night 26 Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

UFC Fight Night 26 will go from Boston this Saturday, August 17. The event marks the beginning of the UFC’s foray onto the Fox Sports 1 network, and it will be headlined by a light heavyweight contest between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Chael Sonnen.
Beh…

UFC Fight Night 26 will go from Boston this Saturday, August 17. The event marks the beginning of the UFC’s foray onto the Fox Sports 1 network, and it will be headlined by a light heavyweight contest between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Chael Sonnen.

Behind the night’s main event are an additional 12 bouts that will begin on Facebook before transitioning to the big stage. 

It all begins at 4 p.m. ET, with the televised portion of the show beginning at 6 p.m. ET and the main card getting underway at 8 p.m. ET.

The UFC Fight Night 26 shakes out like this:

 

UFC Fight Night 26 Main Card

  • Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen
  • Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne
  • Urijah Faber vs. Iuri Alcantara
  • Matt Brown vs. Mike Pyle
  • Uriah Hall vs. John Howard
  • Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson

 

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

  • Brad Pickett vs. Michael McDonald
  • Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway
  • Mike Brown vs. Steven Siler
  • Diego Brandao vs. Daniel Pineda

 

Facebook Prelims

  • Manny Gamburyan vs. Cole Miller
  • Cody Donovan vs. Ovince St-Preux
  • Ramsey Nijem vs. James Vick

Tune your browser here when UFC Fight Night 26 begins for live play-by-play and analysis of the action as is breaks.

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Alistair Overeem Picks Velasquez to Win at UFC 166; Maintains No Beef with JDS

For the better part of his brief UFC career, Alistair Overeem’s name has teetered on the brink of a title shot, but he still hasn’t had a chance to capture the gold.
While there are no guarantees that he will secure one this weekend with a win over Tra…

For the better part of his brief UFC career, Alistair Overeem‘s name has teetered on the brink of a title shot, but he still hasn’t had a chance to capture the gold.

While there are no guarantees that he will secure one this weekend with a win over Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26, Overeem is always lurking nearby just waiting for the call to come to offer him the shot.

Whether he’s fighting for the belt or not, Overeem always has a constant eye on the heavyweight division, particularly the title fight coming up at UFC 166 in October when Cain Velasquez battles Junior dos Santos for the third time.

The first two fights were split, with both Velasquez and dos Santos getting a win, and the third fight will settle the trilogy with one man walking out of the Octagon UFC heavyweight champion, and the other destined to sit and hopefully find another path to the title somewhere down the road.

Looking at the fight, Overeem says, unlike the first two bouts, which were decidedly one-sided for dos Santos in the first matchup and Velasquez in the second, he sees this third showdown as ultra close as any in the heavyweight division.

If he were a betting man, however, Overeem would have to put his money on the incumbent champion.

“It’s a very intriguing fight as both matches were so different from each other. Junior has KO power, which he demonstrated in the first fight, but if Cain can keep the pressure and fight his fight, I don’t see Junior winning.

But JDS now knows what Cain can and will do to him, so he will be more prepared this time, and a loss always gives the motivation to come back stronger,” Overeem explained when speaking to Bleacher Report. “For me, it’s an even fight, but Cain being the champion and having won the last fight, I will put my money on him.”

Some might hear the pick and believe that Overeem is picking against dos Santos based on a longstanding grudge he has against dos Santos from the multiple times they were supposed to fight—and they still haven’t faced one another.

Since Overeem has been in the UFC, dos Santos hasn’t had the kindest things to say about the former K-1 champion, especially after their fights have been scrapped on at least two occasions.

Overeem believes the rivalry with dos Santos has been overstated by the media, and he has no real beef with the former champion. His main concern with dos Santos just comes down to fighting, and he says one day they will get the chance to meet in the Octagon.

“The media made it bigger than it was as they were looking for headlines,” Overeem said. “I’m a different fighter now, and this time, I only want to focus on training and winning the next fight. I still believe a fight between JDS and myself is a fight fans want to see, so my gut feeling is telling me that a fight between us will happen in the future.”

Overeem’s only concern right now is facing Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26 on Saturday night. With a win, Overeem will certainly catapult right back into the discussion for a UFC title shot and a potential matchup once again with dos Santos.

 

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

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