UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta has stepped in to replace Quinn Mulhern after he suffered a sports injury in the run up to his fight against Ryan Couture at UFC 164.
The event is due to take place on August 31 in Milwaukee, and it will be the first time Ia…
UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta has stepped in to replace Quinn Mulhern after he suffered a sports injury in the run up to his fight against Ryan Couture at UFC 164.
The event is due to take place on August 31 in Milwaukee, and it will be the first time Iaquinta has stepped inside the cage since losing to Michael Chiesa at The Ultimate Fighter 15 finale.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, Iaquinta stepped up four hours after Mulhern posted a picture of his fractured hand on Tuesday.
Both he and Couture have an opportunity to bounce back in the division after suffering losses in their previous outings. Couture was knocked out by Ross Pearson in April, and fighting on the same card as the mouthwatering lightweight championship bout between Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis is the perfect opportunity for him to get noticed.
This will be only his second fight in the UFC after he joined the promotion from Strikeforce.
It is not clear whether the two will face off on the main card or the preliminaries, but UFC 164 is shaping up as follows:
UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta has stepped in to replace Quinn Mulhern after he suffered a sports injury in the run up to his fight against Ryan Couture at UFC 164.
The event is due to take place on August 31 in Milwaukee, and it will be the first time Ia…
UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta has stepped in to replace Quinn Mulhern after he suffered a sports injury in the run up to his fight against Ryan Couture at UFC 164.
The event is due to take place on August 31 in Milwaukee, and it will be the first time Iaquinta has stepped inside the cage since losing to Michael Chiesa at The Ultimate Fighter 15 finale.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, Iaquinta stepped up four hours after Mulhern posted a picture of his fractured hand on Tuesday.
Both he and Couture have an opportunity to bounce back in the division after suffering losses in their previous outings. Couture was knocked out by Ross Pearson in April, and fighting on the same card as the mouthwatering lightweight championship bout between Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis is the perfect opportunity for him to get noticed.
This will be only his second fight in the UFC after he joined the promotion from Strikeforce.
It is not clear whether the two will face off on the main card or the preliminaries, but UFC 164 is shaping up as follows:
Life keeps getting better and better for Chris Weidman.
Now, he’ll have a day entirely to himself, at least in the region where he grew up and continues to call home.
Weidman defeated the legendary Anderson Silva to capture the UFC middleweight ch…
Life keeps getting better and better for Chris Weidman.
Now, he’ll have a day entirely to himself, at least in the region where he grew up and continues to call home.
Weidman defeated the legendary Anderson Silva to capture the UFC middleweight championship in one of the biggest moments in UFC history at UFC 162 earlier this month. Going into the fight, he was considered one of Silva’s toughest opponents, and many believed that Weidman would be able to use the blueprint set forth by Chael Sonnen and wrestle his way to a decision.
Instead, Weidman caught the showboating Silva with a left hook in the second round for a knockout, handing “The Spider” his first UFC loss.
Now, Weidman’s community back home will honor him for his achievement. He will be honored by Long Island with a proclamation that July 17 is “Chris Weidman Day.”
Weidman is a longtime Long Island native and currently lives in Baldwin. He won a state wrestling championship for Baldwin High School and also attended Hofstra University. He’s never really left the area, and even suffered through the worst of Hurricane Sandy, which decimated much of the New York area in 2012 and left Weidman’s home extremely damaged.
But they say the sun shines the brightest after the rain, and that seems particularly true for Weidman.
Nassau County executive Edward Mangano will join New York State Senator Dean Skelos and Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray for the official proclamation. The ceremony takes place at Long Island’s Coral House at 2 p.m. ET.
Weidman will defend his title against Silva in the main event of UFC 168 on December 28. That event also features a women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
On the surface, Legacy Fighting Championships bantamweight contender Matt Hobar came to MMA like hundreds before him.
He was a decorated wrestler growing up and learned all about hard work while practicing and embracing the grind on the mats. It was th…
On the surface, Legacy Fighting Championships bantamweight contender Matt Hobar came to MMA like hundreds before him.
He was a decorated wrestler growing up and learned all about hard work while practicing and embracing the grind on the mats. It was the whole other world Hobar saw while traveling with his father that gave him a new perspective and an appreciation of what he does everyday.
Hobar‘s father is a successful surgeon who travels all around the globe providing valuable medical care to those in need. On many of his father’s trips, Hobar came along and assisted in many areas less fortunate than the one he grew up in outside of Dallas.
Looking back now as he makes his own way in the world as a professional fighter, Hobar learned humility by seeing how hard some people have to fight just to survive.
“I definitely have and I’m so blessed to have lived a life that I’ve had. Being young and just being able to travel with my dad, and it’s helped me to be a real humble person and a real strong person and real honest,” Hobar told Bleacher Report. “Obviously, my dad going into those countries and doing those operations and just seeing him be such a selfless person firsthand, it’s a real big testament to me and a real big testament on how I want to be as a person.
“I just try to bring that into the cage with me and stay real composed and humble. Nobody likes the bad guy.”
During the trips Hobar spent on the road with his dad while he was performing surgeries in countries like Haiti and the Dominican Republic he learned much more than the fighting world could ever teach him. It taught him to appreciate everything he has and that there is a much scarier world out there than anything he’d ever face in an MMA cage.
“A lot of guys have never even been out of their home state, let alone the world and seen the troubles that are going on in the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to see that,” Hobar explained. “There’s stuff out there that’s so much bigger than what we as Americans know. I go into the cage thinking there’s not anything like this, so I’m just going in there to have fun. I’m just fortunate enough to do combat and get paid to do it.”
These experiences have also had a profound effect on how Hobar wants to be perceived in his career. His humility teaches him that life can change at a moment’s notice, and it’s a valuable lesson he uses before each fight.
You see, there’s a considerable buzz that if Hobar wins his fight in Legacy this weekend, he may soon receive a call up to a big promotion like the UFC.
Hobar‘s long-term goals are like that of most fighters, and he would love to compete in the Octagon one day, but for now he’s just happy to have this opportunity to do something he loves for a living.
“I don’t even like hype. I don’t see myself as that way. Some people may hype me up, but I’m not a big fan of that. It’s not particularly my style and I don’t let it go to my head,” Hobar said. “It definitely only takes one punch to make you taste that humility. I treat every opponent with respect. Even if he’s 0-3, he can knock me and treat him as if he can beat me. If I go out there like that, I fight the best fight every time.
“I’m just thankful for this opportunity. If I win this fight, it just opens up so many more doors, so I can’t wait.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Rory MacDonald has a very big fight coming up at UFC on Fox 8 against fellow top five-ranked welterweight Jake Ellenberger.
The winner will certainly enter the immediate discussion for a title shot against the winner of Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hend…
Rory MacDonald has a very big fight coming up at UFC on Fox 8 against fellow top five-ranked welterweight Jake Ellenberger.
The winner will certainly enter the immediate discussion for a title shot against the winner of Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks, who battle at UFC 167 later this year.
The issue with MacDonald possibly earning the shot is the fact that he is a teammate and close friend of St-Pierre’s at their shared home training facility in Montreal.
The subject of teammate fighting teammate has long been an issue in MMA, and has caused more than a few rifts between coaches, fighters and promotions.
MacDonald said most recently in May of this year when speaking to MMAFighting.com that he and St-Pierre would not face each other, but they did have some kind of arrangement in place if that time ever came.
We’re not fighting. Me and Georges are friends, we’re training partners. We’ll have our own arrangements and figure it all out when the time comes. It’s not going to come to us fighting. Friends, teammates, you know? We’re here to help each other.
On Tuesday, during a media conference call for UFC on Fox 8, the subject of St-Pierre came up to MacDonald again in another way. If MacDonald isn’t willing to face his teammate at welterweight, will he then be forced to choose between not fighting for the title, so long as St-Pierre remains champion, and potentially moving weight classes?
MacDonald’s answer was vague, but he didn’t close the door on any possibility—maybe even leaving a slight opening in the discussion about him facing St-Pierre.
I’m just kind of focused on this fight for now. My whole career’s kind of been go with the flow, everything changes after each fight. I’ll see where I am after this fight, and just the options from there. Nothing’s out of the question.
When a follow up to that statement came to UFC president Dana White, he answered with a little more certainty.
White stated in 2012, when the subject of St-Pierre vs. MacDonald came up, that he was certain the two teammates would eventually face off if the bout was for the UFC welterweight title.
His belief stems from the fact that every fighter in the world wants to be known as the best, and if going through St-Pierre is the way to get there, he’s sure MacDonald would take it. (via MMAWeekly.com)
Here’s what it always comes down, and we’ve had this conversation a million times, guys. Why are you in this? You’re in this to be the world champion. That’s what it’s about. It’s about winning, and becoming – see, everyone around the world knows GSP, and they love this guy. He makes s—t loads of money and the list goes on and on. Rory wants that. And it’s not like we’re setting up this fight where you’re going to fight and you’re going to have to hate each other after. This is the fight world. This is the world of fighting. Like I said the other day, I said this is the fight business, not the friend business. It’s not.
Despite MacDonald’s claims otherwise, White still hasn’t heard the young Canadian say to him that he would never fight St-Pierre.
It’s just not a subject that needs a discussion right now because they aren’t set to face each other.
I don’t think Rory ever said he wouldn’t fight GSP. Rory said he doesn’t want to talk about fighting GSP. I don’t think he’s ever said he won’t fight GSP. When that day comes, and he gets to that place where it’s time for GSP vs. Rory MacDonald I’m sure that’s when Rory MacDonald will want to talk about fighting GSP.
First up, however, is MacDonald trying to get past Jake Ellenberger at UFC on Fox 8.
If he’s victorious, there will undoubtedly be a slew of questions about St-Pierre because he just may stand tall as the new No. 1 welterweight contender.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted
Ex UFC middleweight Jason “Mayhem” Miller still seems to be generating media attention following retirement, appearing this week on FOX 11 Sports.
He was on air to discuss life outside MMA, which includes his new clothing line, Stubborn.
Mi…
Ex UFC middleweight Jason “Mayhem” Miller still seems to be generating media attention following retirement, appearing this week on FOX 11 Sports.
He was on air to discuss life outside MMA, which includes his new clothing line, Stubborn.
Miller said that launching a clothing line was one of his lifelong dreams.
“I saw that these days there’s not a lot of thought put it into anything these days. Especially amongst the mixed martial arts community,” he said. “Nobody thinks about anything. Well, I’m inviting you to come along and think with me.”
The T-shirt he was wearing featured Einstein writing the equation that triangle choke = death.
Miller said “retirement” was a funny word for a 32 year-old, and that he was focused on other arts that inspire him in his life. Among these is painting, which he could have learnt at Oklahoma Christian University – one of the many courses it offers to students. However, that is unlikely to have the same thrill as combat sports, and the fighter said he would like to get back in the cage again.
“Yeah, have I thought about fighting? All the time! Every time anybody brings anything up. OK? I’m an intense person.”
Miller blamed a knee injury for his second loss to CB Dolloway and he told Fox 11 that he’s currently in the healing process, requiring two knee surgeries. He also said that he had difficulty with his insurance company having to pay for the surgeries.
“They dragged me out. They told me ‘Oh yeah, we’re gonna do it but we just gotta get a confirmation from another doctor.’ He said ‘yes, do the surgery’, but the insurance company still came back [to me].”
Miller has no love lost with his former boss at the UFC, Dana White, and his continuing complaints about medical treatment of fighters is hardly likely to endear him further.
“We have no protection. We’re at the will of one bald headed uncle Fester.”
Rory MacDonald has a very big fight coming up at UFC on Fox 8 against fellow top five-ranked welterweight Jake