During the official UFC Fight Night 96 post-show on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday evening, UFC fighters and analysts Rashad Evans and Tyron Woodley joined Karyn Bryant to look back at the event headlined by John Lineker vs. J…
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During the official UFC Fight Night 96 post-show on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday evening, UFC fighters and analysts Rashad Evans and Tyron Woodley joined Karyn Bryant to look back at the event headlined by John Lineker vs. John Dodson.
In addition to looking back at the fights in Portland, Oregon, Evans and the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion also looked ahead to a big fight on a card that Woodley himself will also be on, November’s UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor event in New York.
Featured above is the segment that featured Evans and Woodley looking ahead to the highly-anticipated Alvarez-McGregor showdown at UFC’s first-ever event in the state of New York.
UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 12, 2016 from the world-famous Madison Square Garden arena in New York City.
If you take Jose Aldo’s word for it, there were apparently negotiations not too long ago for a potential super fight between current UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor and former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.
Aldo has been …
If you take Jose Aldo’s word for it, there were apparently negotiations not too long ago for a potential super fight between current UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor and former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.
Aldo has been talking about getting out of his contract with the UFC and retiring after the company decided to give McGregor an additional title shot against UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez at the upcoming UFC 205 pay-per-view in November.
As noted, by winning the interim UFC Featherweight title by defeating Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 in July, Aldo was promised the next UFC Featherweight Title shot. After McGregor’s 170-rematch against Nate Diaz, UFC President Dana White said if McGregor didn’t go back down to 145 pounds to defend his belt, he would have to relinquish the title.
Obviously that never happened, and we’ll see how things play out over the next few weeks.
One interesting fact you might not know, however, is that the UFC nearly put together a mega-fight between Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre earlier this year.
Well, that is, you believe Jose Aldo.
Aldo told Brazilian media outlet Combate that the proposed bout was in the negotiation stages, but ultimately fell through when St-Pierre reportedly demanded a $10 million payday.
“Georges asked him for 10 million,” Aldo told Combate about the amount of money GSP wanted to make to fight the reigning top draw in the sport.
Aldo continued, “He wanted 10 million to fight, and then Dana [White] didn’t want to pay that to him, so he put Nate in for the second time.”
UFC 205 finally took shape last week, as the stars of the promotion align in New York. November 12 will see a historic event in Madison Square Gardens, the iconic venue which has played host to so many great shows over the years. This is set to be a huge event for the UFC, as
UFC 205 finally took shape last week, as the stars of the promotion align in New York. November 12 will see a historic event in Madison Square Gardens, the iconic venue which has played host to so many great shows over the years. This is set to be a huge event for the UFC, as they front the new era of MMA in NYC. After years of battling against the state, the UFC and mixed martial arts as a whole scored a crucial victory this year. It’s no surprise that a lightweight title fight featuring the champion against the UFC’ biggest current star is the main event in the Big Apple.
There’s a whole lot more at stake than what meets the eye at UFC 205, though. Obviously making a good impression in New York is key, but the future of the sport potentially hangs in the balance of the main event. Money or rankings? That’s a very potent question that’s arisen frequently in recent months. When entertainment is held over perceived ‘legitimacy’ in the rankings, is MMA a sport? Let’s be honest, we know it’s not the Olympics, but many fans have been discussing how the sport is now becoming more like pro wrestling.
Money Makes The World Go Round
The UFC being a privately owned business means one thing will take primacy over every aspect–the bottom line. It’s just a fact, that’s not a slur on the promotion, but its basic business. The pairing of UFC featherweight champion against Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound belt speaks volumes about the UFC’s future intent. Straying away from the rankings for a few fights here and there might not seem like a needle moving decision, but truly, it absolutely is.
McGregor’s last two fights, one win and one loss against Nate Diaz, sparked massive debate about his keeping of the 145-pound strap. Finally, when the dust had temporarily settled on the beef with Diaz, it was widely assumed that McGregor would face interim champion Jose Aldo for a rematch at UFC 205. You know what they say about assumptions. Instead the money fight was selected, whether you agree with the base motive or not, it’s still a great fight. That said, and as previously mentioned, it holds massive ramifications.
What happens if Conor McGregor beats Eddie Alvarez? Here’s a few speculations…
Rankings in The Bin
Hold your horses, we aren’t predicting an immediate abolishing of the official UFC rankings. That said, most pivotal moments in history are made up of multiple and much smaller catalysts. Although it may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, McGregor’s attempt to become the first ever two-belt (at the same time) champion holds a lot of weight.
Once it’s set in stone that the rankings mean nothing, and let’s be frank–they are reasonably pointless already, the original intent of making MMA compete with NBA, NFL etc. is gone. When you consider that guys like CM Punk can literally walk in to a UFC fight present day, imagine what it would be like if only big talkers and celebrities were to fight in the UFC. OK, so it’s a little dystopian, but you get the point.
McGregor Makes The World Go Round
Further in to the rabbit hole we go, and don’t take the heading as literal. Picture this-the biggest MMA promotion that is essentially run by the fighters. This is great in some respects, and terrible in others. The athletes themselves calling the shots ala-Conor McGregor could lead to those big paydays that a lot of guys deserve. At the bottom end of that possibility is the talented fighters who aren’t also outspoken or theatrical.
Say goodbye to your Jose Aldo’s and Frankie Edgar’s, the future of the UFC could literally look like the cast of a reality show with Reebok fight kits on.
Free For All
There’s been a whole lot of debate about MMA against other sports lately, in particular boxing. Seeing as money is the main motivation, and intrigue means eyeballs means $$$, cross promotion could well be a possibility. Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor? Sure, why not, let’s remodel this whole game so that it literally revolves around one gigantic ball of dollar bills. Then again, what if we were already deep in to the era of money fights, and we didn’t know it yet?
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Essentially unravelling most of the arguments in this article, that one simple statement does make sense. Hey, we know money is the foundation of all things business, but in sport can’t we have the best of both worlds? Well, yes and no. When exceptions are made for guys like McGregor, can the UFC justify not making them for everyone else? It’s an extremely tough argument to make for either side, and one that might never be resolved. For now, let’s enjoy the huge UFC 205 main event that’s coming up, and hope the fallout doesn’t lead to more (interim) champions and top contenders quitting the sport.
Conor McGregor is headed for the biggest fight of his career when he meets Eddie Alvarez in the main event of November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden, but apparently there’s he’s going through some “personal stuff” which will be revealed after his bid to become the first concordant two-class weight class champ. And apparently
Conor McGregor is headed for the biggest fight of his career when he meets Eddie Alvarez in the main event of November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden, but apparently there’s he’s going through some “personal stuff” which will be revealed after his bid to become the first concordant two-class weight class champ.
And apparently it’s going to be something quite surprising, as UFC President Dana White recently revealed on MMA Podcast (via Champions.co) that he wrestled with McGregor to vacate his featherweight belt, but other factors played into the decision:
“Listen, I battled this thing forever. [Holding onto both belts] is not fair to Jose Aldo, it’s not fair to Khabib and Max Holloway. So, believe me, I battled with this thing but there are … how can I say this? There are other circumstances involved in this that will be played out after the fight.”
“It’s something completely out of left field but it’s Conor’s business, it’s not mine, and I’ll let Conor announce it when he’s ready to.”
Just what that news may be is already being fervently thrown about the rumor mill as expected, with possibilities ranging from his long-rumored fight with Floyd Mayweather to him breaking up with longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin – and of course the other side of the coin involves a rumor that Devlin is pregnant.
It all’s nothing but rumor at this point, however, and it will supposedly be revealed right after what should be the biggest MMA event of all time in New York.
With the massive UFC 205 pay-per-view (PPV) event on the horizon, the anticipation is buzzing amongst mixed martial arts (MMA) fans for the ground breaking inaugural UFC event in Madison Square Garden. The UFC has rolled out the red carpet so to speak for New York fight fans, as the MSG card is stacked with
With the massive UFC 205 pay-per-view (PPV) event on the horizon, the anticipation is buzzing amongst mixed martial arts (MMA) fans for the ground breaking inaugural UFC event in Madison Square Garden.
The UFC has rolled out the red carpet so to speak for New York fight fans, as the MSG card is stacked with some of the biggest match-ups the promotion can make today.
One such match-up is a 145-pound slobber-knocker between No. 2-ranked Frankie Edgar and No. 7-ranked Jeremy Stephens.
The pair of elite 145-pounders sat atop the UFC 205 press conference stage earlier this week to promote the blockbuster event, in which ‘Lil Heathen’ took the opportunity to throw his hat into the mix for a potential big money fight against featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
When one reporter asked McGregor who he thought would give him the toughest fight out of all the men upstage, Stephens was quick to interrupt:
“Right here, right here,” Stephens said (courtesy of MMA Junkie). “The hardest hitting 145 pounder. The real hardest hitting 145er, right here. This guy TKOs people. When I knock people out they don’t (expletive) move. Little leprechaun.”
In typical Conor McGregor-like fashion, ‘The Notorious One’ responded in a way that not only sent laughter throughout the entire jam-packed room, but burned Stephens for calling him out as well:
“Who the (expletive) is that guy? Who the (expletive) is that? Oh my god,” McGregor said.
In regards to his matchup with Edgar in ‘The Answer’s’ own backyard, Stephens assured Edgar’s hometown crowd that their hometown hero would be taking an early nap come November 12th:
“I love knocking people out in their own back yard,” Stephens said. “This isn’t the first time I’m going to do it. MSG it’s going down. Your boy is getting knocked the (expletive) out. Guaranteed.”
Edgar and Stephens will go head-to-head on the UFC 205 preliminary card, live from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on November 12, 2016.
Jose Aldo’s recent tribulations have thrown up a lot of questions. Not only is Aldo’s future unclear, that of the promotion and arguably the sport is in the balance. After learning Conor McGregor would fight for the third time above the 145-pound division, ‘Scarface’ decided to call it quits. Requesting a release from his UFC
Jose Aldo’s recent tribulations have thrown up a lot of questions. Not only is Aldo’s future unclear, that of the promotion and arguably the sport is in the balance. After learning Conor McGregor would fight for the third time above the 145-pound division, ‘Scarface’ decided to call it quits. Requesting a release from his UFC contract, Aldo’s protest comes at a time when money and rankings have become two opposing sides. On the one hand you have ‘legitimate’ fights based on the division’s standing, and on the other you have matches that will make money. Seldom are the two part of the same equation.
It’s unclear whether ‘The Notorious’ will return to defend the title he won from Aldo at UFC 194. With the Brazilian currently holding the interim featherweight belt, his frustrations are somewhat understandable. Perhaps the timing of UFC 205 could not have been worse for Aldo. With the UFC wanting to make a big impression in the first ever New York based card, the lightweight title clash with Eddie Alvarez was always going to take primacy. Adding to this complicated situation, ‘Scarface’ is not exactly in the UFC’s ‘good books,’ as it were.
Jose Aldo’s Struggle
Before his first ever UFC loss, Jose Aldo was quite the anti-UFC advocate. This isn’t to say he was right or wrong in his feelings towards the UFC, but we know how the promotion rolls when fighters speak out. Blasting the Reebok deal, accusing the UFC of favoritism with certain fighters, and just generally casting his employers in a negative light may be coming back to bite Jose. Unsurprisingly, Aldo was absolutely ruthless in his statement about Dana White when announcing his desire to leave the UFC.
Wondering about that Tweet that Aldo put out? Oddly enough, just hours before Aldo’s angry statement about retiring from MMA, a Tweet surfaced on his official account that indicated something different. Claiming he’d ‘see McGregor soon,’ it seems a lack in communication between Aldo and his social media manager caused a blip. The former undisputed WEC and UFC kingpin later revealed he’d fired his social media manager. Speaking with Combate, H/T Bloody Elbow, Aldo had yet more to say about the state of affairs in the UFC. Case in point, Dana White’s $10 million GSP snub.
Dana Turned Down GSP’s Mac Money Request?
“I think that my life and the whole featherweight division needs to keep going, not being stalled while he (McGregor) does three fights in the lightweight division. Another one that he wanted to do, make a super fight with Georges St-Pierre, which didn’t work out because Georges wanted 10 million dollars and Dana didn’t want to pay it. So he still put him with Nate for the second time. So for me, Dana’s word is worthless.”
Much like Mark Hunt, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, Nate Quarry and so many others, Jose Aldo is taking a stand against the UFC. How will this work out? Unfortunately, this writer’s opinion is that ‘Scarface’ won’t be fighting for the UFC any time soon. Bellator or Rizin FF are surely interested though.
![FotorCreated-50[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/FotorCreated-501.jpg)
![303_Conor_McGregor.0.0[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/303_Conor_McGregor.0.01.jpg)
In typical Conor McGregor-like fashion, ‘The Notorious One’ responded in a way that not only sent laughter throughout the entire jam-packed room, but burned Stephens for calling him out as well:![Jose_Aldo-10.0.0[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Jose_Aldo-10.0.01-e1449596491519.jpg)
