John Kavanagh ‘Too Afraid to Ask’ About Interim Title

SBG’s John Kavanagh has indicated his confusion at the announcement of yet another interim belt in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 in March.

It is truly a matter of East meets West in the lightweight division at UFC 209 in March. The highly anticipated bout between two of the 155 pound division’s top three fighters will have the extra spice of an interim lightweight title added to the mix.

Confirmation of the anticipated fight came from no other than UFC president Dana White, however there was no allusion to an interim belt in White’s declaration. Fight fans will undoubtedly be thrilled that the face-off between two of the promotions most elite fighters will stretch a full 5 rounds.

Another anticipated fight which was previously announced as the headliner for UFC 209 is for the welterweight crown; Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson were separated by only the finest of margins in what was a majority draw decision for “T-Wood” at UFC 205 in New York last November.

Interim titles are not always the most popular among the MMA masses. One man in particular who seems to treat the concept with contempt is the trainer of the current lightweight champion of the world, Conor McGregor. John Kavanagh expressed his confusion at the decision of the UFC hierarchy to offer an interim belt,  by posting the meme below:

😶

 Whether Kavanagh held the same view following McGregor’s capture of the UFC featherweight interim title following his KO victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 189 is not clear, however.

In addition to the Nurmagomedov v Ferguson fight collapsing previously due to financial dispute, both fighters have had injury problems which have prevented their meeting in the past. With all now appeared to be resolved, fans will wait with bated breath that both fighters can maintain fitness and avoid injury before they square off in the octagon.

There is absolutely no doubt in stating that this fight represents the most significant of both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson’s respective careers, as the winner will edge one square closer to UFC gold, and hopefully their very own “red panty night”.

SBG’s John Kavanagh has indicated his confusion at the announcement of yet another interim belt in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 in March.

It is truly a matter of East meets West in the lightweight division at UFC 209 in March. The highly anticipated bout between two of the 155 pound division’s top three fighters will have the extra spice of an interim lightweight title added to the mix.

Confirmation of the anticipated fight came from no other than UFC president Dana White, however there was no allusion to an interim belt in White’s declaration. Fight fans will undoubtedly be thrilled that the face-off between two of the promotions most elite fighters will stretch a full 5 rounds.

Another anticipated fight which was previously announced as the headliner for UFC 209 is for the welterweight crown; Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson were separated by only the finest of margins in what was a majority draw decision for “T-Wood” at UFC 205 in New York last November.

Interim titles are not always the most popular among the MMA masses. One man in particular who seems to treat the concept with contempt is the trainer of the current lightweight champion of the world, Conor McGregor. John Kavanagh expressed his confusion at the decision of the UFC hierarchy to offer an interim belt,  by posting the meme below:

?

In addition to the Nurmagomedov v Ferguson fight collapsing previously due to financial dispute, both fighters have had injury problems which have prevented their meeting in the past. With all now appeared to be resolved, fans will wait with bated breath that both fighters can maintain fitness and avoid injury before they square off in the octagon.

There is absolutely no doubt in stating that this fight represents the most significant of both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson’s respective careers, as the winner will edge one square closer to UFC gold, and hopefully their very own “red panty night”.

Conor McGregor: 7 Potential Fights for His UFC Return

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the UFC—perhaps even more so now that Ronda Rousey has suffered a much-publicized fall from grace. The Irishman is, along with Rousey, the only true guarantee for the UFC in the pay-per-view space and the mos…

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the UFC—perhaps even more so now that Ronda Rousey has suffered a much-publicized fall from grace. The Irishman is, along with Rousey, the only true guarantee for the UFC in the pay-per-view space and the most regular big money name in combat sports as well, with Floyd Mayweather out of the game.

Thus it stands to reason that people are already excited about McGregor’s comeback, even if it could be down the line as much as 10 months. He’s said he’s waiting for the birth of his first child before he gets back in the cage, but he also said that he might try to squeeze something in before that child comes, so anything is possible at this point.

Either way, the only thing that talks more than McGregor himself is cash. If UFC ownership either flies to Dublin or picks up the phone and starts talking numbers and big fights for the lightweight champion, it’s even more likely that he might be talked back the cage sooner rather than later.

In consideration of that fact—and also of the fact that McGregor has been active in three weight classes over the past 13 months—what follows is a list of prospective opponents for the most polarizing man in the game to mull over as he returns to the gym and prepares for his next entry into the Octagon.

Begin Slideshow

Dana White: Khabib Nurmagomedov v Tony Ferguson is ‘Happening’

UFC President Dana White has confirmed that the much anticipated bout between the #1 & #2 ranked lightweights will go ahead.

With Conor McGregor on hiatus, there is no bigger fight in the 155 pound division right now. Khabib Nurmagomedov will square off against the streaking Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 in Las Vegas, on March 4th.

White confirmed, much to the delight of fans on Thursday, that the fight has been booked:

“We haven’t received bout agreements from both guys, but they’ve both verbally agreed.”

“It’s happening”.

Dana White’s confirmation of the bout which may determine McGregor’s opponent for his first title defence has now made UFC 209 an impressive card; the headlining title rematch between welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and #1 ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will follow an interesting clash of styles.

The lightweight champion [McGregor] is expected to be out of action until fall, and it is likely thatthe winner of the upcoming lightweight bout will hold the upper hand in negotiating a shot at the Irishman’s title.

Ferguson is currently riding a nine fight win streak, which stretches back to 2012’s loss to Khabib’s last opponent [Michael Johnson] . The former welterweight’s last appearance inside the octagon was against ex-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3 in November 2016.

 

UFC President Dana White has confirmed that the much anticipated bout between the #1 & #2 ranked lightweights will go ahead.

With Conor McGregor on hiatus, there is no bigger fight in the 155 pound division right now. Khabib Nurmagomedov will square off against the streaking Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 in Las Vegas, on March 4th.

White confirmed, much to the delight of fans on Thursday, that the fight has been booked:

“We haven’t received bout agreements from both guys, but they’ve both verbally agreed.”

“It’s happening”.

Dana White’s confirmation of the bout which may determine McGregor’s opponent for his first title defence has now made UFC 209 an impressive card; the headlining title rematch between welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and #1 ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will follow an interesting clash of styles.

The lightweight champion [McGregor] is expected to be out of action until fall, and it is likely thatthe winner of the upcoming lightweight bout will hold the upper hand in negotiating a shot at the Irishman’s title.

Ferguson is currently riding a nine fight win streak, which stretches back to 2012’s loss to Khabib’s last opponent [Michael Johnson] . The former welterweight’s last appearance inside the octagon was against ex-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3 in November 2016.

 

Floyd Mayweather Says He’s The ‘Face Of Mixed Martial Arts’

Yesterday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. rekindled the flames for his oft-rumored boxing match against Conor McGregor by boasting he’d only pay ‘The Notorious’ $15 million to face him in an interview with ESPN, adding that he didn’t deserve the $100 million he’s spoken out for. That was far from all Mayweather ended up saying during a

The post Floyd Mayweather Says He’s The ‘Face Of Mixed Martial Arts’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Yesterday, Floyd Mayweather Jr. rekindled the flames for his oft-rumored boxing match against Conor McGregor by boasting he’d only pay ‘The Notorious’ $15 million to face him in an interview with ESPN, adding that he didn’t deserve the $100 million he’s spoken out for.

That was far from all Mayweather ended up saying during a tour of the world-famous sports network, as he took things to an all-new level in a Facebook Live interview with Bryan Campbell (quotes via MMA Fighting). In it, “Money” claimed that he was not only the face of boxing, but of mixed martial arts as well:

“I’m not just the face of boxing, I’m the face of mixed martial arts also. And I’m not an MMA fighter but I do support all contact sports. I haven’t seen an MMA fight in a while but anytime I see an MMA fighter that wants to take a picture with me, I’m gonna take a picture with them because they go through a lot. Fighters go through a lot to get to a certain level and MMA fighters go through a lot just like boxers go through a lot.”

Now retired after making a record-setting purse for his overdue – and lackluster – ‘super fight’ with Manny Pacquiao in May of 2015 and a not-so-awaited decision win over Andre Berto later that year, the undefeated legend wanted his listeners to know his opinion McGregor didn’t want to fight him, and was tapping out only two fights ago:

“I want to tell everybody this, right now. Conor McGregor, do he want to fight? Absolutely not. I’m trying to see if he really want to fight but we can’t make the fight happen because he’s not his own boss. And I want the world to know this: just a fight, two fights ago, he was [knocks table twice] tapping out. He was just [knocks table twice] quitting.

“A lot of fighters – legendary fighters, fighters of today, MMA fighters – everybody says, ‘Floyd Mayweather do us wrong.’ Call me what you want to call me but I’m not a quitter. I don’t quit.”

Love him or hate him, Mayweather has a point there. Either way, headlines for a fight that may never even come close to being a reality are popping up left and right after cooling down heavily over the past six months, and a lot of that is Mayweather’s doing.

The prospect never seems to go away for good. Do you care enough to wait around for this hyped-up unicorn of a bout, or is Mayweather simply riding MMA’s coattails as he sees it overshine boxing in a big way?

The post Floyd Mayweather Says He’s The ‘Face Of Mixed Martial Arts’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Floyd Mayweather Says He Offered Conor McGregor $15 Million Boxing Match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rj4dgQW9Jo

The back-and-forth banter between future boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder Conor McGregor has not ended. Mayweather told ESPN that an o…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rj4dgQW9Jo

The back-and-forth banter between future boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder Conor McGregor has not ended. Mayweather told ESPN that an offer was on the table for “Notorious:”

“We tried to make the Conor McGregor fight. They know what my number is. My number is a guaranteed $100 million. That was my number. We are willing to give him $15 million and then we can talk about splitting the percentage — the back end — on the pay-per-view. But of course, we’re the ‘A side.’ How can a guy talk about making 20 or 30 million if he has never made 8 or 9 million in a fight.”

Late last year, McGregor was issued his boxing license in the state of California. Mayweather is not impressed.

“You guys keep hearing all these different rumors about different fighters want to face Floyd Mayweather. Everybody keeps talking about Conor McGregor. He’s blowing smoke up everybody’s a–. Dana White, the UFC — let’s make it happen. Bring him over to the boxing world, and I’ll show him what it’s like.”

Mayweather is currently retired from the sport of boxing, but he is interested in the McGregor fight. In fact, “Money” says that’s the only fight that he has his sights set on.

“Only thing I’m probably interested in is the Conor McGregor fight. I’m a businessman, and it makes business sense. I believe in what me and [adviser] Al Haymon talk about every day — I believe in working smarter, not harder.”

Mayweather had the sports world buzzing when he put up an unofficial poster teasing a bout with McGregor. “Notorious” hasn’t minced words when it comes to firing shots at “Money.” McGregor has told Mayweather, “I run boxing.” and that he wants no less than $100 million to step inside the ring with him.

Of course, Mayweather hasn’t been eager about dipping a toe inside the Octagon.

Poll: Are You Sick Of ‘Money Fights’ Yet?

Recently, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has seen a massive uptick in top fighters calling for so-called ‘money fights’ in their next bout rather than the fight that makes the most sense from a rankings and/or merit standpoint. The term rose to extreme prominence in early 2016, when current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor began

The post Poll: Are You Sick Of ‘Money Fights’ Yet? appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Recently, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has seen a massive uptick in top fighters calling for so-called ‘money fights’ in their next bout rather than the fight that makes the most sense from a rankings and/or merit standpoint.

The term rose to extreme prominence in early 2016, when current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor began throwing about his now-infamous ‘moneyweight’ comment about his fight with late replacement Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196, a fight McGregor would actually suffer his first UFC loss in. But ‘money fights’ were here to stay, and McGregor only added fuel to that fire when he took on Eddie Alvarez to win his second UFC championship at November 2016’s UFC 205.

The upper echelons of the UFC roster – who are solid drawing fighters in their own right but nowhere near McGregor – justifiably see what ‘The Notorious’ is pulling in each fight, and that coupled with the UFC’s recent sale to Hollywood giant WME-IMG for a staggering $4.2 billion has them understandably wanting to be paid like top athletes. But the problem is, not as many want to see some of these so-called ‘money fights’ even close to as much as they’d want to see any fight with McGregor.

Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley began calling for a huge payday literally minutes after he knocked out Robbie Lawler to win the title last August, pegging Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz as his prospective big draw opponents. When he was instead scheduled to face Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 and fought “Wonderboy” to a draw, Woodley then began putting out the feelers for a ‘money fight’ with middleweight champion Michael Bisping. The term has also been used by newly-crowned bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who wants to face featherweight champion Jose Aldo, and by Rose Namajunas for her desired match with surging contender Michelle Waterson.

Those are big fights, but they just aren’t bouts on the level of a true ‘money fight’ headlined by McGregor, and overall some of of these champions will just have to start defending their belts rather than calling their shots for potentially huge paydays. That’s not to say some kind of super fight, such as a long-rumored GSP vs. Anderson Silva bout, wouldn’t be good for the sport in a barren schedule of early 2017 bouts lacking a true feature attraction.

What do you think – is all the ‘money fight’ talk getting old, or do you understand the fighters’ points of view?

The post Poll: Are You Sick Of ‘Money Fights’ Yet? appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.