According to Garbrandt, however, this is not the case.
Appearing on The MMA Hour on Monday, the Sacramento based fighter confirmed to Ariel Helwani that his interests are in the champions of the 145 & 155lb classes, currently occupied by no other than Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, respectively:
“I need to sit down with Dana [White] and Sean [Shelby] and find out the biggest money fight for me,” said the 25-year-old. “I know I can go up and fight with Jose Aldo: he has wins over my teammates. He is a legend and I’d like to test his chin. I know I hit hard and I’m just getting started.”
“I could also have the biggest fight with Conor [McGregor]. I could easily go up. My homie Nate Diaz choked him out, and I can’t believe he’s pound-for-pound No. 2 on the list, with, you know he got choked out.”
“I want the biggest money fight for me right now.”
Friday night’s victory over the champion was certainly a huge step towards UFC stardom; Garbrandt made it look so simple, which was a feat considering he was expected by many to be schooled by Cruz. The fighter who is now 11-0 in MMA is certain he could mix it with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo:
“There’s a lot of fights for me in the division, in the UFC division,” he said. “I am young enough to go up, and I’ll fight anybody. But to be honest, I truly believe that I’m ready to fight and I believe that I go out there and put on a performance. And I’m a draw. I want the biggest money fight for me right now. I think that I saw Jose Aldo say that he’d like to fight me, I’d like to test his chin. Like I said, he’s got wins over my teammates and I want to get every one of those back”.
“And you know, Conor [McGregor], too. He knows that I’d go up to 150 and catchweight with him. Jose Aldo I’ll go up to 45. But yeah. I’m excited for the potential match-ups for me. I feel like I’m one of the biggest draws. I’m the biggest draw for Conor in the division, you know what I mean? I’m a rising star. Jose Aldo needs a fight. I think that he went out there and said that he’d like to fight me too.”
When asked about his next fight, the new king of the bantamweight division is looking towards a return to the octagon this summer:
“I think so, say June maybe, before summer,” he said. “Yeah, I think that would be a great time to come back and give somebody an ass-whooping. But yeah, me and Conor McGregor had the beef on The Ultimate Fighter. I mean, have nothing against the guy as far as a fighter. It’s a business to me. But I’ll tell you what, somebody puts their hands on me and I didn’t do shit about it, I’d be wanting to get them back each time. That’s for sure.”
Watch Garbrandt and McGregor lock horns in The Ultimate Fighter 22: in October 2015:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec0uMQu25ZM
Garbrandt is looking towards Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo for “big fights” over a defence of his new title.
According to Garbrandt, however, this is not the case.
Appearing on The MMA Hour on Monday, the Sacramento based fighter confirmed to Ariel Helwani that his interests are in the champions of the 145 & 155lb classes, currently occupied by no other than Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, respectively:
“I need to sit down with Dana [White] and Sean [Shelby] and find out the biggest money fight for me,” said the 25-year-old. “I know I can go up and fight with Jose Aldo: he has wins over my teammates. He is a legend and I’d like to test his chin. I know I hit hard and I’m just getting started.”
“I could also have the biggest fight with Conor [McGregor]. I could easily go up. My homie Nate Diaz choked him out, and I can’t believe he’s pound-for-pound No. 2 on the list, with, you know he got choked out.”
“I want the biggest money fight for me right now.”
Friday night’s victory over the champion was certainly a huge step towards UFC stardom; Garbrandt made it look so simple, which was a feat considering he was expected by many to be schooled by Cruz. The fighter who is now 11-0 in MMA is certain he could mix it with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo:
“There’s a lot of fights for me in the division, in the UFC division,” he said. “I am young enough to go up, and I’ll fight anybody. But to be honest, I truly believe that I’m ready to fight and I believe that I go out there and put on a performance. And I’m a draw. I want the biggest money fight for me right now. I think that I saw Jose Aldo say that he’d like to fight me, I’d like to test his chin. Like I said, he’s got wins over my teammates and I want to get every one of those back”.
“And you know, Conor [McGregor], too. He knows that I’d go up to 150 and catchweight with him. Jose Aldo I’ll go up to 45. But yeah. I’m excited for the potential match-ups for me. I feel like I’m one of the biggest draws. I’m the biggest draw for Conor in the division, you know what I mean? I’m a rising star. Jose Aldo needs a fight. I think that he went out there and said that he’d like to fight me too.”
When asked about his next fight, the new king of the bantamweight division is looking towards a return to the octagon this summer:
“I think so, say June maybe, before summer,” he said. “Yeah, I think that would be a great time to come back and give somebody an ass-whooping. But yeah, me and Conor McGregor had the beef on The Ultimate Fighter. I mean, have nothing against the guy as far as a fighter. It’s a business to me. But I’ll tell you what, somebody puts their hands on me and I didn’t do shit about it, I’d be wanting to get them back each time. That’s for sure.”
Watch Garbrandt and McGregor lock horns in The Ultimate Fighter 22: in October 2015:
With UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor appearing to be taking a break after winning the title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from New York, No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov and No. 2-ranked Tony Ferguson have expressed interest in fighting each other. In fact, the idea of pairing the two against each other with an interim title
With UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor appearing to be taking a break after winning the title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from New York, No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov and No. 2-ranked Tony Ferguson have expressed interest in fighting each other. In fact, the idea of pairing the two against each other with an interim title on the line has even been tossed around.
Despite the bout obviously making sense from a rankings standpoint, it has yet to be made mainly due to the fact that Ferguson is in contract disputes with the promotion. ‘El Cucuy” has said that he would like to be paid the same as Nurmagomedov, a request that UFC President Dana White doesn’t seem to fond of.
“The Eagle”, on the other hand, simply wants the fight signed and he recently offered to pay Ferguson to make the fight happen:
Hey @TonyFergusonXT if the @ufc don’t want to pay you I’ll pay you 200k extra on your purse let’s make this fight now you have no excuse
Nurmagomedov currently boasts an incredible 24-0 professional record and is coming off of a dominant decision victory over Michael Johnson. “The Eagle” is also riding an eight fight UFC win streak.
Ferguson, on the other hand, has been red hot as of late, compiling nine straight victories inside the Octagon. “El Cucuy” is coming off of a decision victory over former champion Rafael dos Anjos.
What do you make of Nurmagomedov’s offer and would you like to see this fight?
With UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor appearing to be taking a break after winning the title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from New York, No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov and No. 2-ranked Tony Ferguson have expressed interest in fighting each other. In fact, the idea of pairing the two against each other with an interim title
With UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor appearing to be taking a break after winning the title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 from New York, No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov and No. 2-ranked Tony Ferguson have expressed interest in fighting each other. In fact, the idea of pairing the two against each other with an interim title on the line has even been tossed around.
Despite the bout obviously making sense from a rankings standpoint, it has yet to be made mainly due to the fact that Ferguson is in contract disputes with the promotion. ‘El Cucuy” has said that he would like to be paid the same as Nurmagomedov, a request that UFC President Dana White doesn’t seem to fond of.
“The Eagle”, on the other hand, simply wants the fight signed and he recently offered to pay Ferguson to make the fight happen:
Hey @TonyFergusonXT if the @ufc don’t want to pay you I’ll pay you 200k extra on your purse let’s make this fight now you have no excuse
Nurmagomedov currently boasts an incredible 24-0 professional record and is coming off of a dominant decision victory over Michael Johnson. “The Eagle” is also riding an eight fight UFC win streak.
Ferguson, on the other hand, has been red hot as of late, compiling nine straight victories inside the Octagon. “El Cucuy” is coming off of a decision victory over former champion Rafael dos Anjos.
What do you make of Nurmagomedov’s offer and would you like to see this fight?
UFC 207 is in the books. The results are as follows:
Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey by KO at 0:48 of the first round
Cody Garbrandt def. Dominick Cruz by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-47, 48-46)
T.J. Dillashaw def. John Lineker by unanimous decision (…
UFC 207 is in the books. The results are as follows:
Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey by KO at 0:48 of the first round
T.J. Dillashaw def. John Lineker by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Dong Hyun Kim def. TarecSaffiedine by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Ray Borg def. Louis Smolka by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Neil Magny def. Johny Hendricks (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Antonio Carlos Junior def. Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (29-28,-29-28, 29-28)
Alex Garcia def. Mike Pyle by KO at 3:34 of the first round
Niko Price def. Brandon Thatch via submission (arm-triangle) at 4:30 of the first round
Alex Oliveira vs. Tim Means is declared a no contest
Next up is UFC Fight Night 103 but, rather than focusing in on a relatively shallow Fight Night event, it’s worth taking a look at the bigger picture.
2016, despite being a generally terrible year for the public at large, was easily the best in the history of the UFC and arguably the biggest in MMA history. Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit gave fans a special treat to start the year, and things never slowed down. Contenders were born, champions were unseated and new stars made their way to the spotlight.
Unfortunately, year-over-year consistency has long been a struggle for MMA. High highs are almost always followed by brutally low lows and with a strong 2015 being followed by a stronger 2016, it’s difficult not to feel like the proverbial bubble will burst in the near future.
With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at the biggest outstanding questions facing MMA and analyzing what might come in the next 12 months.
As a hugely successful year for the UFC draws to a close, it’s time to reveal who the highest paid stars were in the Octagon in 2016. In a year when the UFC was sold for a staggering $4.2 billion – the largest single franchise sale in sporting history – business has been booming for the
As a hugely successful year for the UFC draws to a close, it’s time to reveal who the highest paid stars were in the Octagon in 2016.
In a year when the UFC was sold for a staggering $4.2 billion – the largest single franchise sale in sporting history – business has been booming for the promotion, with pay-per-view records being broken, several shows doing over one million buys and the state of New York finally being opened up as a lucrative new market.
The UFC’s biggest stars have also been able to cash in, with the record for the largest basic salary for a single fight having been shattered on several occasions and all 10 fighters on this list having made at least a seven-figure sum, though the general feeling is that fighters are still being underpaid, leading to increased discussion of unionization in the final months of the year.
Truth be told, it’s not possible to know exactly how much any fighter made in the past 12 months, as many avenues for fighters to boost their earnings are not publicly disclosed.
For instance, UFC champions are entitled to a cut of any pay-per-view event that they are part of, which could prove to be the lion’s share of their earnings for a successful show, but since the promotion doesn’t disclose it’s PPV numbers, any attempt to put a figure on this would be purely speculation.
On top of that, fighters will generally have other undisclosed income from things like sponsorship and endorsement deals outside of the Octagon, media work, TV and movie opportunities, seminars, etc.
With that in mind, the focus on this article will be on what we can say for certain that fighters earned in 2016 via their disclosed income from the UFC. That includes their basic salary as well as any fight night bonuses they may have won and Reebok sponsorship money that they are entitled to on a per-fight basis.
So, without further ado, let’s count down the top 10 best paid UFC stars in 2016.
10. Dominick Cruz: $1,020,000
Having only fought once in the previous four years, Dominick Cruz finally put his injury woes behind him in 2016 and fought a total of three times.
His initial title-winning fight against TJ Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night 81 in January saw him take home a $110,000 basic salary, but that then jumped to $350,000, win or lose, for his next two fights a champion.
Cruz also took home two $50,000 ‘Fight Of The Night’ bonuses this year, and earned a further $110,000 in Reebok sponsorship money to just edge out his fellow FOX Sports 1 analyst Michael Bisping ($990,000) as the 10th best paid star of the year.
UFC 207 on Friday night will undoubtedly be the most important night in the MMA career of Ronda Rousey.
On November 15th 2015 in Melbourne, Australia, Bruce Buffer introduced Ronda Rousey to a packed out Etihad Arena as the women’s bantamweight champion of the world. The UFC superstar and cultural phenomenon had never been beaten in MMA, and was one of the most recognisable faces in the world of sport. It took just two rounds into her title defence against ex-boxing world champion Holly Holm for that to end. Since that spectacular dethroning, the name most female MMA fighters once feared to speak no longer holds the currency it once did. So what happened?
Quite simply, Ronda was dominated at UFC193 and could not bounce back. The loss affected the former Strikeforce champion severely, and this coming Friday will see her return after a long hiatus. Another question which hangs over the partner of UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, is the quality of the team which she has around her. Rowsey’s sole defeat is attributable to a fight plan which was embarrassingly one dimensional, and highly simplistic. Edmond Tarverdyan’s baffling tactics were effectively to pressure, and hunt down an accomplished long-range striker [in Holm] to beat her on the inside. It was clear by the end of the first round that not only would this game plan not work, but it was being completely exploited by the former WBC champion of the world.
Tarverdyan had no plan B or deviation from what was not working (he even bizarrely commended his fighter’s efforts). The gapingly obvious failure here was that Rousey was not squaring up against a run of the mill, flat-footed slugger; Holm was (and is) a proven, technical striker with great footwork. “The Preacher’s Daughter” employed powerful straight lefts from the outside and slick lateral movement; such simple boxing fundamentals appeared far more impressive given the opponent’s inability to find a way inside. “Rowdy” could only move forward, and in a straight line, and was ill-prepared for a challenger with a southpaw stance. With no concept of space management, or timing strikes, a fighter will eat solid punches trying to reach their target. In Rousey’s case she was picked apart, worn out and eventually opened up giving Holm the window to connect with a perfectly timed head kick which knocked her out. The stunning knockout not only exposed arrogance in the Glendale camp’s preparations for the match-up, but was detrimental to their fighter’s health. If the first defeat of the Queen of MMA painfully highlighted limitations in her striking abilities, it certainly confirmed one thing: Holm is a boxer; Rousey is not.
Prior to her loss in Australia, “Rowdy” displayed a peerless aura of invincibility. Many called for her instating as the pound for pound #1 in UFC, while others suggested that she possessed the skills that could beat male fighters. Before Conor McGregor, Rousey was the muted cross-over opponent to fight Floyd Mayweather. While the accolades, superlatives and hyperbole which surrounded the iconic fighter had never been seen before, the magnitude of her fall from grace will possibly never be seen again.Having reached peak popularity, and with a string of acting roles, advertisements and product endorsements, the 135lb champion watched her stock collapse dramatically. Speculation mounted of exterior commitments acting as a distraction from her fight game, and ultimately affecting her preparation and her dedication to the craft which had made her famous. A retreat from public life led to speculation of retirement: would she ever step foot inside the octagon again? Further talk of depression and suicidal tendencies (concerning, given that both her father and grandfather’s took their own lives) added weight to the argument that we had seen the last of the bantamweight in the UFC.
No one has yet to establish themselves in the absence of the Beijing 2008 medallist. Since UFC193, the women’s bantamweight division has seen the belt change hands three times in as many fights. Miesha Tate, the now retired (one time) nemesis of “the arm collector”, earned the strap via rear-naked choke from Holm at UFC 196. “Cupcake” would subsequently fall victim in her first title defence against Rousey’s next opponent Amanda Nunes at UFC 200, suffering the same fate she had dealt Holm the previous March (rear-naked choke). What is curious in the case of all three fighters to sit atop the division following Rousey’s defeat, is that none are yet to successfully defend the strap. Some may say that this demonstrates the depth of quality within the 135lb ranks, while others have argued that it is testament to the strength of the ex-Olympian’s dominance – the old adage “form is temporary, class is permanent” may be pertinent given the fact that there is only one loss on her record.
If we are to see the challenger emerge victorious this Friday night, it will more than likely come down to the greatest tool in her weaponry, and the foundation of her success: the armbar. The American’s MMA debut victory came in March 2011 against Ediane Gomes at KOTC: Turning Point (submitting her opponent in 25 seconds). A further six victories would come via armbar, and all in the first round. At UFC 170, almost three years and eight fights later, Sarah McMann collapsed following a knee to the body – the first fight Rousey won via strikes. A fluent left knee gradually softened the body, until McMann hit the canvas after the first minute of the first round. At UFC 175 the following July, Alexis Davis was the next victim of the female superstar, and lasted only 16 seconds in spectacularly brutal fashion. Rousey, looking more the stand-up fighter, landed a couple of jabs and straight-rights, before hip tossing her opponent and demolishing her with several blows on the ground. Despite this, Cat Zingano would fall victim to the signature armbar at UFC184, but a return to a strike oriented game plan at UFC190 was enough to flatten Bethe Correia via a right-hook.
Rousey’s departure from what had been so effective (barring the Zingano bout) was evidently missing against Holm in UFC193, but it is likely that Rousey will revert to this tactic against the powerful Nunes, and rightly so – it works. Providing her gameplan is more robust against the dangerous Brazilian, she will be favoured to recapture a belt many see as hers. It really is quite simple for the ex-bantamweight champion: boom or bust. Defeat cannot be an option worth considering.
UFC 207 on Friday night will undoubtedly be the most important night in the MMA career of Ronda Rousey.
On November 15th 2015 in Melbourne, Australia, Bruce Buffer introduced Ronda Rousey to a packed out Etihad Arena as the women’s bantamweight champion of the world. The UFC superstar and cultural phenomenon had never been beaten in MMA, and was one of the most recognisable faces in the world of sport. It took just two rounds into her title defence against ex-boxing world champion Holly Holm for that to end. Since that spectacular dethroning, the name most female MMA fighters once feared to speak no longer holds the currency it once did. So what happened?
Quite simply, Ronda was dominated at UFC193 and could not bounce back. The loss affected the former Strikeforce champion severely, and this coming Friday will see her return after a long hiatus. Another question which hangs over the partner of UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, is the quality of the team which she has around her. Rowsey’s sole defeat is attributable to a fight plan which was embarrassingly one dimensional, and highly simplistic. Edmond Tarverdyan’s baffling tactics were effectively to pressure, and hunt down an accomplished long-range striker [in Holm] to beat her on the inside. It was clear by the end of the first round that not only would this game plan not work, but it was being completely exploited by the former WBC champion of the world.
Tarverdyan had no plan B or deviation from what was not working (he even bizarrely commended his fighter’s efforts). The gapingly obvious failure here was that Rousey was not squaring up against a run of the mill, flat-footed slugger; Holm was (and is) a proven, technical striker with great footwork. “The Preacher’s Daughter” employed powerful straight lefts from the outside and slick lateral movement; such simple boxing fundamentals appeared far more impressive given the opponent’s inability to find a way inside. “Rowdy” could only move forward, and in a straight line, and was ill-prepared for a challenger with a southpaw stance. With no concept of space management, or timing strikes, a fighter will eat solid punches trying to reach their target. In Rousey’s case she was picked apart, worn out and eventually opened up giving Holm the window to connect with a perfectly timed head kick which knocked her out. The stunning knockout not only exposed arrogance in the Glendale camp’s preparations for the match-up, but was detrimental to their fighter’s health. If the first defeat of the Queen of MMA painfully highlighted limitations in her striking abilities, it certainly confirmed one thing: Holm is a boxer; Rousey is not.
Prior to her loss in Australia, “Rowdy” displayed a peerless aura of invincibility. Many called for her instating as the pound for pound #1 in UFC, while others suggested that she possessed the skills that could beat male fighters. Before Conor McGregor, Rousey was the muted cross-over opponent to fight Floyd Mayweather. While the accolades, superlatives and hyperbole which surrounded the iconic fighter had never been seen before, the magnitude of her fall from grace will possibly never be seen again.Having reached peak popularity, and with a string of acting roles, advertisements and product endorsements, the 135lb champion watched her stock collapse dramatically. Speculation mounted of exterior commitments acting as a distraction from her fight game, and ultimately affecting her preparation and her dedication to the craft which had made her famous. A retreat from public life led to speculation of retirement: would she ever step foot inside the octagon again? Further talk of depression and suicidal tendencies (concerning, given that both her father and grandfather’s took their own lives) added weight to the argument that we had seen the last of the bantamweight in the UFC.
No one has yet to establish themselves in the absence of the Beijing 2008 medallist. Since UFC193, the women’s bantamweight division has seen the belt change hands three times in as many fights. Miesha Tate, the now retired (one time) nemesis of “the arm collector”, earned the strap via rear-naked choke from Holm at UFC 196. “Cupcake” would subsequently fall victim in her first title defence against Rousey’s next opponent Amanda Nunes at UFC 200, suffering the same fate she had dealt Holm the previous March (rear-naked choke). What is curious in the case of all three fighters to sit atop the division following Rousey’s defeat, is that none are yet to successfully defend the strap. Some may say that this demonstrates the depth of quality within the 135lb ranks, while others have argued that it is testament to the strength of the ex-Olympian’s dominance – the old adage “form is temporary, class is permanent” may be pertinent given the fact that there is only one loss on her record.
If we are to see the challenger emerge victorious this Friday night, it will more than likely come down to the greatest tool in her weaponry, and the foundation of her success: the armbar. The American’s MMA debut victory came in March 2011 against Ediane Gomes at KOTC: Turning Point (submitting her opponent in 25 seconds). A further six victories would come via armbar, and all in the first round. At UFC 170, almost three years and eight fights later, Sarah McMann collapsed following a knee to the body – the first fight Rousey won via strikes. A fluent left knee gradually softened the body, until McMann hit the canvas after the first minute of the first round. At UFC 175 the following July, Alexis Davis was the next victim of the female superstar, and lasted only 16 seconds in spectacularly brutal fashion. Rousey, looking more the stand-up fighter, landed a couple of jabs and straight-rights, before hip tossing her opponent and demolishing her with several blows on the ground. Despite this, Cat Zingano would fall victim to the signature armbar at UFC184, but a return to a strike oriented game plan at UFC190 was enough to flatten Bethe Correia via a right-hook.
Rousey’s departure from what had been so effective (barring the Zingano bout) was evidently missing against Holm in UFC193, but it is likely that Rousey will revert to this tactic against the powerful Nunes, and rightly so – it works. Providing her gameplan is more robust against the dangerous Brazilian, she will be favoured to recapture a belt many see as hers. It really is quite simple for the ex-bantamweight champion: boom or bust. Defeat cannot be an option worth considering.
